tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75090675132063252302024-03-15T03:05:34.088+13:00My Green Bookshelves.Just some thoughts on books, culture, and life from a small corner of the world.Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-27912323620406108522015-11-10T15:50:00.001+13:002015-11-10T15:51:33.629+13:00Recent reviews<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Due to my serious lack of ever updating my blog (and my feeling that no one reads it anyway), here are the links to my reviews over the past year. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All books provided by Booksellers NZ, and all links below are to their blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/book-review-te-ara-puoro-a-journey-into-the-world-of-maori-music-by-richard-nunns-with-allan-thomas/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Te Ara Puoro – A journey into the world of Maori music</i></span></a>, by Richard Nunns with Allan Thomas</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/book-review-barefoot-years-by-martin-edmond/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Barefoot Years</i></span></a>, by Martin Edmond</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/book-review-the-healthy-country-a-history-of-life-and-death-in-new-zealand-by-alistair-woodward-tony-blakely/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>The Healthy Country? A History of Life and Death in New Zealand</i></span></a>, by Alistair Woodward & Tony Blakely</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/book-review-one-life-my-mothers-story-by-kate-grenville/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>One Life: My Mother’s Story</i></span></a>, by Kate Grenville</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/book-review-forged-from-silver-dollar-by-li-feng/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Forged From Silver Dollar</i></span></a>, by Li Feng</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/book-review-two-pedants-season-one-by-sean-molloy/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Two Pedants: Season One</i></span></a>, by Sean Molloy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While some were heavy hitting, making me check my values and life choices, others made me smile and chuckle to myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My highlight so far was definitely <i>One Life: My Mother’s Story</i> by Kate Grenville, from whom I will leave you with this golden advice:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"What other people did was up to them. Your job was to live - as richly and honestly as you could - your one life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">K xx</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-33252468553593002012014-09-30T11:19:00.003+13:002014-09-30T11:19:59.365+13:00Confessions Part II<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For all you Usher fans out there, I apologise if you've found this post due to the title. It is clearly misleading. </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbCOHJAYVa-2utNSa8I4OretTvEMbeN8MFtSvqfPuXulqgdPemLjj7gDJ3JFvuWly5X88UMRsFzJgrCS6MKwNqUzAUF2Srny7XcNRp1c8w3cpzBzuYH50zAi1RUqNmsHEkLZjC0sMQjg/s1600/10502289_10152376016939962_4009384151326563032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbCOHJAYVa-2utNSa8I4OretTvEMbeN8MFtSvqfPuXulqgdPemLjj7gDJ3JFvuWly5X88UMRsFzJgrCS6MKwNqUzAUF2Srny7XcNRp1c8w3cpzBzuYH50zAi1RUqNmsHEkLZjC0sMQjg/s1600/10502289_10152376016939962_4009384151326563032_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"There are bridges you cross you didn't<br />know you crossed until you crossed." Deep.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post serves as a follow up to my last (proper) post in March. It's been a while. It's also been a while between today and when I actually started writing this post. And I am very aware of how much smack I talk, so apologies if you're bored by my ramblings. Just easier to type it all out here than talk to someone face to face and see their eyes glaze over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What's been going on? Not too much. I went to Melbourne with one of my best friends. It was super pleasant. Saw <i>Wicked</i> then <i>Les Mis</i>, hit up galleries, shopped in the places with the free wifi, ate dumplings and dim sum, watched as many World Cup games as possible, and lost money at the casino. We did well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a result of this trip (which was in June/July) I have been listening to the <i>Wicked</i> soundtrack almost everyday. Once something is in my head, it takes a long time to go away. However, if I'm not listening to it, I'm listening to the <i>Harry Potter</i> audio books. I'm up to <i>Prisoner of Azkaban</i>. It's been less than 2 weeks since I started. I spend my time well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My last post talked about wanting to work as an editor. So, last month I quit my job to take up a job as an editor at Te Kura - The Correspondence School. I'm just covering maternity leave, but I figured it's a good step in the right direction. Going well so far, great group of people, always learning new things I clearly never learnt at high school, and gaining invaluable editing experience. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is now September as I come to complete this post. I started it in June I think, so it's taken me a short while. I forget about the drafts, upload reviews instead, etc. I've also stopped listening to the HP audio books in preparation for our trip overseas (need something else on the plane, just in case).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIKaZ-tBxxRIph6RvdasoLY8B2qRSDI26NxpqNSXKWyxHFwWK2l7S82Bxib7_T759ub8QNsIWrPkz6Mqam_NQi0b4MY6lLIJEX72EnAVWOvmU8lek7PBbS8MH2xMBvwKNk-TdPMsN2No/s1600/10502225_822602001092125_3799142063392115232_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIKaZ-tBxxRIph6RvdasoLY8B2qRSDI26NxpqNSXKWyxHFwWK2l7S82Bxib7_T759ub8QNsIWrPkz6Mqam_NQi0b4MY6lLIJEX72EnAVWOvmU8lek7PBbS8MH2xMBvwKNk-TdPMsN2No/s1600/10502225_822602001092125_3799142063392115232_n.png" height="167" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My favourite.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Life's been busy too. Sort of. Work's good, actually being able to call myself an editor is rather satisfying. I spend my days editing the work students enrolled with Te Kura will be given next year. As I tell people, I'm learning all the things I never paid attention to in school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guess the more exciting thing is that it's exactly one month today until we leave for America. My partner will be running the NY marathon on November 2, while I eat bagels and drink coffee. Then South Carolina, Orlando, and Hawaii. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have no doubt my next post will be some time long after that trip, explaining how great Harry Potter Land is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">K.</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-67173813618679040662014-08-26T14:27:00.000+12:002014-08-26T14:27:13.770+12:00Book Review: Rough on Women: Abortion in 19th-Century New Zealand, by Margaret Sparrow<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 253, 250);">Originally
published on the Booksellers NZ<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/book-review-rough-on-women-abortion-in-19th-century-new-zealand-by-margaret-sparrow/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737;">I had several people ask ‘Why would anyone volunteer to read
this book?’, during the course of reading it. It took me longer than usual to
read; after reading about two deaths from apparent poisoning, the last thing I
wanted to move on to was the heading ‘Kate’s death – wielding a whalebone?’
Following the success of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Abortion Then & Now: New
Zealand abortion stories from 1940 to 1980</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737;">, Margaret Sparrow has
created a thorough and, at times, harrowing account of New Zealand abortions in
the 1800s.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADsRCiPjrCCBle2XCPuqaArhIGxiEbDRAF_fvQ2jpnFAeTY3BemoHeSadK2-aXDqnLJWCszBqwNE0_dltjCYg6l_YQ5GuLJ_GzN0kJzWUNCeZUzFFeArTrlx2IykdemfgRdEJd5xQ3vM/s1600/RoughonWomencover__17991.1407673481.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADsRCiPjrCCBle2XCPuqaArhIGxiEbDRAF_fvQ2jpnFAeTY3BemoHeSadK2-aXDqnLJWCszBqwNE0_dltjCYg6l_YQ5GuLJ_GzN0kJzWUNCeZUzFFeArTrlx2IykdemfgRdEJd5xQ3vM/s1600/RoughonWomencover__17991.1407673481.1280.1280.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">No leaf has been left unturned in this book, covering abortion
laws and practice in the 19th century, through to real and bogus doctors, and
even self-abortion. Using any and every resource available to her, Sparrow has
created a book full of real women and their real stories. With a fleeting
reference to Minnie Dean, Sparrow explores the limited choices available to
women, and the extremes to which they went after having an unwanted child.
These included child farming, adoption, and infanticide. The latter provides a
wealth of examples of women charged with murdering their own child – these
women were often sent to gaol or a lunatic asylum.</span><span style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">The concept of helping others comes through several times in the
book. Whether they were doctors turned abortionists, a neighbour being
friendly, or an employer helping their domestic servant, these people faced
imprisonment, as did the woman, if caught. Chemists played an integral part in
the process too, often as the first port of call to provide “patient-friendly
abortion services.”</span><span style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">While this book covers 19th century New Zealand (as expected),
Sparrow devotes a chapter to ‘Lessons from history’. She takes the time to look
closely at the history of the legislation surrounding abortion, and is critical
of the our current laws – “New Zealand’s current laws are no better than those
of the 19th century in preventing or controlling abortions, and this is not
surprising.” Reading this sentence didn’t surprise me either; during university
I remember one article of a student couple’s attempt to get an abortion on the
grounds of simply not being ready or wanting the child. Why should a woman be
forced to lie when simply she doesn’t want a child? And for exceptional cases?
The argument of ‘what is an exceptional case’ will erupt, of course. But as
Sparrow reminds the reader: “That rape should not be a ground for abortion is a
shameful infringement of human rights.”</span><span style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">So why did I elect to review this book? Because, quite simply,
it’s an important issue, and I believe we don’t talk about it enough. If you’d
like a hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and all together gripping read, I
cannot recommend <em style="font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Rough on Women</span></em> more.
Sparrow’s critical stance and outspokenness in this field makes me smile and
hope that we will have a serious change for the better in the foreseeable
future.</span><span style="color: #373737;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">Rough on Women: Abortion in 19th-Century New Zealand</span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #373737;">by Margaret Sparrow</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Victoria University Press<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ISBN 9780864739360</span></div>
Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-34795259250511689012014-06-27T09:56:00.000+12:002014-07-02T12:53:29.548+12:00Book review: City of Lies – Love, Sex, Death and the search for truth in Tehran, by Ramita Navai<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally published on the Booksellers NZ <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/book-review-city-of-lies-love-sex-death-and-the-search-for-truth-in-tehran-by-ramita-navai/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span><br />
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Let’s get one thing straight: in
order to live in Tehran you have to lie. Morals don’t come into it: lying in
Tehran is about survival.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXQnnU65zHJvkOy0PkBDPWqW3REGnw9gbuTVkgX2qBW3bFTY50-zM3fbPAvdDCBJ1fZoQO0VRKPXMOz3xRuTKDCNlRzjzRpYShQadv1YiOX-xSWdJS0xrxI2h37Rkqv00uT1OisXTVKk/s1600/cv_city_of_lies_love_sex_death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXQnnU65zHJvkOy0PkBDPWqW3REGnw9gbuTVkgX2qBW3bFTY50-zM3fbPAvdDCBJ1fZoQO0VRKPXMOz3xRuTKDCNlRzjzRpYShQadv1YiOX-xSWdJS0xrxI2h37Rkqv00uT1OisXTVKk/s1600/cv_city_of_lies_love_sex_death.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Searing
words form a harrowing reality, giving the reader an excellent basis to start
an exceptional book. British-Iranian journalist Ramita Navai tells the
real-life stories of eight protagonists in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">City
of Lies – Love, Sex, Death and the search for truth in Tehran</span></em>. The
sycamore-lined Vali Asr Street is the central setting, while the stories span
over years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Navai has created a remarkable non-fiction book. Her choice of stories may make
the reader think they’re reading a collection of fiction short stories. Every
now and then I remembered that these were true stories, throwing me in to
disbelief and I found myself researching the author and book to ensure that
these weren’t made up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Tehran in<span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> </span></i></span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">City
of Lies</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is one made
of gangsters, housewives, terrorists, and schoolgirls. Following extensive
research and interviews, Navai has been able to bring the reader in to the
world of an Iranian-American terrorist who has been given an important task, a
schoolgirl finding love in an unexpected place, and a basiji making a
life-changing decision.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
stories reveal a Tehran riddled with political, religious, social, and sexual
contradictions. In one story, following her first encounter as a prostitute
“she did not feel dirty or degraded. Just scared of God”. Navai doesn’t shy
away from any topic throughout the book, and an open-mind from the reader is
required. The ending of at least one story left me shocked, a ringing in my
ears. Just be prepared. “This was the new Tehran, where tradition and class are
blended together and trumped by money.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Navai provides a short
autobiography at the end of the book, which sheds further light on her
relationship with Tehran. A glossary appears also, and is accompanied by her
sources divided by chapter. The sources provide excellent information for the
reader, but I suggest waiting until you complete all the stories before reading
them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With
an excellent mixture of stories, characters, and settings that Navai has
managed to track down and document,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">City
of Lies</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a
must-read for any person interested in astonishing stories of human survival.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; padding: 0cm;">City of Lies – Love, Sex, Death and the search for truth in Tehran</span></i></strong><span style="color: #373737;"><br style="line-height: inherit;" />
Written by Ramita Navai<br style="line-height: inherit;" />
Published by Weidenfield & Nicholson<br style="line-height: inherit;" />
ISBN 9780297871316<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-53535082223889638842014-05-01T11:02:00.000+12:002014-07-31T08:39:37.279+12:00Student editing information and rates<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you need assistance proofreading or copy-editing your essays, reports or thesis? </span></span></h3>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take a look below for student rates, my qualifications, and how to get in touch with me. </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're a student looking for someone to proofread your essay, I can ensure the document is in mint condition at a very good price. No job is too small or subject too complex. ESOL students welcome. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can work in a variety of formats - </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in hard-copy, using</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> tracked changes in MS Word, Adobe inDesign (currently running CS6), and Adobe Acrobat (X Pro). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>What will I do?<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Proofreading your work means </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will:</span></div>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">check your spelling </span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ensure your grammar is correct</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">remove any inappropriate usage of words (contractions, colloquial, etc.)</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">amend your punctuation usage. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">not</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">write or re-write your work</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">check or do your references</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ensure you are answering the question.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A proofreader checks that your work is free of typos and has correct grammar. My job is not to ensure you are answering the question or check if you've stayed in the word limit. This is copy-editing and will incur an extra charge (see below).</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Student Rates</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm here to provide students with a realistic option to ensure their work is the best it can be. I have been a student recently, and know that students can lose marks for basic spelling and grammar mistakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My proofreading flat-rate for undergraduate students is $40 an hour (charged in 15 minute increments). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Rough pricing guide (based on hourly rate):</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Up to 1500 words: $20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Up to 3000 words: $40<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Up to 5000 words: $60<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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You'll only be charged for the time it takes me to complete your work. For example, if your 2000 word essay takes me 45 minutes, you'll be charged $30.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Postgraduate students<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please contact me to discuss a quote. I am happy to provide a two page sample proof of your thesis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rough pricing guide:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honours thesis (9000-12,000): $90–$120<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Masters thesis (28,000-33,000): $170–$200<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most people charge by the word, or by the hour. Choosing me and a fixed rate for your thesis will definitely save you money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please note: the subject matter, length of the text, and urgency of work will be taken into consideration before providing a quote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Copy-editing<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you'd like me to use a heavier hand on your work (cutting out words, querying what you've written), this will incur an extra charge, which can be negotiated. This will be a flat rate added on top of your proofreading quote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Note: Some work will take me longer than others, depending on the complexity of the subject – this will be discussed with you before the work is undertaken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Note: The average charge for proofreading is $60-80 an hour, and the average for copy-editing is $80-120 an hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Why should you trust me?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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I have a BA in English Studies and History from Victoria University, spending 4 years there writing numerous essays and assignments. Following this, I completed the Diploma in Publishing (Applied) through Whitireia New Zealand. I focussed on editing throughout my year, and now work as an editor full time at The Correspondence School. Take a look at my <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kimaya-mcintosh/61/25a/64b" style="color: #7421ad; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">LinkedIn profile</a> for further information. </span><br />
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Interested? <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great! Contact me via email at KimayaEdits@gmail.com - please provide as much information as you can, and we can meet in person to discuss if needed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look forward to hearing from you!</span></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-15053743493516404582014-04-28T16:06:00.002+12:002014-04-28T16:06:49.988+12:00Book review: Thorndon, by Kirsty Gunn<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally published on the <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/book-review-thorndon-by-kirsty-gunn/" target="_blank">Booksellers New Zealand blog</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've mentioned previously I much prefer to read non-fiction
over fiction – there’s something that sparks interest for me when I know what
I'm reading is a true story. Delight came to me when I realised the slightly-smaller
than an A5 book I’d been given to review intertwined fact and fiction
perfectly. Excellent way to kill two birds with one stone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTlJPQpjhyrz61HWkpyvalCjhm1ipLIaNENl9SNp3lYze2Gpir6OfIQ4gl2E7Tp3LBjNdS5aI1ft5Q3GWRTnUxNQJsDR1FGloJM8FF5ngbgvuJ74piLGSTObOuySCmYKvu9GmtCKDQj0/s1600/thorndon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTlJPQpjhyrz61HWkpyvalCjhm1ipLIaNENl9SNp3lYze2Gpir6OfIQ4gl2E7Tp3LBjNdS5aI1ft5Q3GWRTnUxNQJsDR1FGloJM8FF5ngbgvuJ74piLGSTObOuySCmYKvu9GmtCKDQj0/s1600/thorndon.png" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Published by Bridget Williams Books as part of the BWB Texts
series, Kirsty Gunn’s memoir <i>Thorndon
Wellington and Home: My Katherine Mansfield Project </i>stands proudly
alongside other great New Zealand authors including Claudia Orange and Maurice
Gee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Thorndon</i>
beautifully recounts Gunn’s time in Wellington having been awarded a Randell
Fellowship. Gunn comes home to the city she grew up in and swore to never
return to, having set up camp in Scotland and London. "A couple of years ago I
came 'home' to Wellington. I came at first alone, and then I brought my
daughters with me."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether you know Wellington well or could care less about
the city, Gunn’s account of her time spent as a Fellow here resonates with all
who despise the place they grew up in. Her two daughters are able to attend the
same school she did, create the same memory of the Zig-Zag stairs, and remember
the way horizontal rain is created by wonderful winds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alongside her wonderfully written and easy to read account
of Wellington, Gunn has intertwined quotes and extracts from Mansfield, as well
as from biographies. A selected bibliography is included for any person looking
for the place to start their Mansfield readings. Alongside these, Gunn's own
stories she wrote while here sit perfectly. As a non-reader of modern fiction,
I found these simply delightful to read. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gunn has produced a simple yet effective book in <i>Thorndon</i>. She tells her own story, which
could have been a rather dull subject, in a real and relatable way. I, for one,
don't find myself particularly attached to the small town I grew up in, but
something resonates with me every time I go back there. Gunn's account draws my
thinking back to the words I wrote in that town, and makes me long to visit
soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Coming or Going. Leaving or returning. Whether dark or
light, north or south, present or past… The words themselves are real. As I
have written before, as I continue to write… The words themselves bring us
home."</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-58010474966637001142014-03-19T15:05:00.002+13:002014-03-21T17:17:22.104+13:00Confessions of a blogging failure.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why? Just because. Also seemed like a good time to change up the look of this blog.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
I started this blog two years ago as a fresh publishing student ready to make my mark on the world. I used it as a place to review the sessions of Writers and Readers Week I'd managed to make it to on my student budget. It seemed like a good idea at the time. This turned in to reviewing anything I could get my hands on for Booksellers New Zealand. When I remembered, the reviews made it on here too. The post with the most hits was my review of <a href="http://kimayamcintosh.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/secrets-and-treasures-book-review.html" target="_blank">Secrets and Treasures</a>. Stunning book.</span><br />
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My year of publishing eventually ended, and I began volunteering with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">The Lumière Reader. Reviews, proofreading, transcribing, and an interview have been my (ongoing) legacy with the fantastic website.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">I went through two jobs at NZICA over 13 months. I now pay my bills working for the government. Publications and Administration Co-ordinator is my 'official' title. I like it. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">Ultimately I want to work in editing, preferably proofreading and/or sub-editing, for an institutional press (university, museum, etc.). For now, I'm trying to pick up as many proofreading jobs as I can. I really do love proofreading (just not my own work).</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">Words in any shape or form build our entire culture and fill our society with more than we care to think about on a daily basis. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;">I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do though. It's hard to be 24 and lock down a career path. I'm also aware I don't need to, but it's nice to feel like you know where you're going. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;">I'm a big believer in if it's meant to be, it'll happen. However, I know that good things don't come to those who wait, but rather those who go out and work hard to get what they want. But if you try sometimes, you might just find you get what you need.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;">So, we shall just see what comes my way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiduZRwI-rAJXy-fLBPx4AX8gl__50C45hXpUQcnveZZ6nfZGc8GmYuME_tOQjlu8KkPrZdsNHNFuFIrB7Tf53G2tpTQzXFHCS-6L2QsbvnWP1baW6TtcEzPxGb6Q1uKHAEON2NZGTUY0/s1600/il_570xN.502739802_jhm5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiduZRwI-rAJXy-fLBPx4AX8gl__50C45hXpUQcnveZZ6nfZGc8GmYuME_tOQjlu8KkPrZdsNHNFuFIrB7Tf53G2tpTQzXFHCS-6L2QsbvnWP1baW6TtcEzPxGb6Q1uKHAEON2NZGTUY0/s1600/il_570xN.502739802_jhm5.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-38704111089093866692014-03-13T12:05:00.000+13:002014-03-13T12:05:24.407+13:00A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It)<br />
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<h5 style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #232323; font-weight: normal;">For </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The Lumière Reader, <a href="http://lumiere.net.nz/index.php/a-midsummer-nights-dream-as-you-like-it/" target="_blank">originally published</a> March 2014.</span></span></h5>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71ZogiG_ee0lBaap-fA6vlq-KdbO-qPOYBoqutkRbahluoLfANOJlYSab6le45zGxn6KkLEdXV-TcimcFRnr0Wpi4rcDJJ6Pb8nly3HRKxToSCQFfGj5Jl_UJIYK0OSC1Ry4OgGLhHUg/s1600/img_midsummersnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71ZogiG_ee0lBaap-fA6vlq-KdbO-qPOYBoqutkRbahluoLfANOJlYSab6le45zGxn6KkLEdXV-TcimcFRnr0Wpi4rcDJJ6Pb8nly3HRKxToSCQFfGj5Jl_UJIYK0OSC1Ry4OgGLhHUg/s1600/img_midsummersnight.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">'A
tedious brief scene of young Pyramus</span></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
And his love Thisbe; very tragical mirth.’<br />
Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!<br />
That is, hot ice and wondrous strange snow.</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</span></i>, Act
V, Scene I</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="capsbold"><b><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-transform: uppercase;">THE QUESTION</span></b></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that ran through my mind in the day leading up
to this performance of Dmitry Krymov’s magical comedy: how do you create an
almost two hour long show from three pages of one of Shakespeare’s great
comedies?</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While
Pyramus and Thisbe’s story forms part of Ovid’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Metamorphoses</span></i>, the ill-fated lovers are best known
through<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">A Midsummer
Night’s Dream</span></em>, where their tragi-romance is acted out by The
Mechanicals, an amateur troupe of actors. The title of this performance
provides a hint—don’t expect this to resemble anything close to an ordinary
Shakespearean production. Before the show started, an usher leaned over and
whispered, “I hear there are a lot of surprises throughout this show, should be
good!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Commissioned
for the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012, good does not begin to sum up<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> </span></b></span>(<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">As
You Like It</span></strong>). Organised, perfectly executed, and chaotic come
close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS-VP3-Pw_hSDeLNgljiG0PDRKr-uAMR3cHugDIc24YFUYkqoIpbPb2PxjhgNQ2t_VqH2TnPvbReCuMpt2L1duWKlhaj5v0qXJWgo8qf18gqkG8XcS6Fg633iXfAyk8fb5Sa8NKoY5qo/s1600/download+(1).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS-VP3-Pw_hSDeLNgljiG0PDRKr-uAMR3cHugDIc24YFUYkqoIpbPb2PxjhgNQ2t_VqH2TnPvbReCuMpt2L1duWKlhaj5v0qXJWgo8qf18gqkG8XcS6Fg633iXfAyk8fb5Sa8NKoY5qo/s1600/download+(1).jpg" height="136" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first
thing you notice when walking in to the St James Theatre is the stripped-down
stage, looking more like a gymnasium than a theatre, with a simple wooden floor
and green exit signs glowing from the back. Never have I seen the stage so
bare. A large chandelier lies on stage, baring undertones of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The Phantom of the Opera</span></i>. The evening begins with
chaotic players lugging a large tree and a water fountain spraying water on the
front row, through the audience to the stage, only to never be seen again in
the next 90 minutes. Rather, the show focuses on the lovers, with a cast made
of rough workers, black-tie spectators, ballerinas, opera singers, acrobats,
and a show-stealing Jack Russell. With their own on-stage spectators, we find
ourselves watching the play-within-the-play as Shakespeare intended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS-VP3-Pw_hSDeLNgljiG0PDRKr-uAMR3cHugDIc24YFUYkqoIpbPb2PxjhgNQ2t_VqH2TnPvbReCuMpt2L1duWKlhaj5v0qXJWgo8qf18gqkG8XcS6Fg633iXfAyk8fb5Sa8NKoY5qo/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Spoken in Russian with English subtitles, the large screens give
the audience the translation they require, all the while providing subtle
hilarity throughout the performance. “Pyramus and Thisbe were the first
lovers,” we read. “They are the great-grandparents of epic couples including
Romeo and Juliet, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Bernard Shaw and Patrick
Campbell.” KGB jokes are sprinkled throughout, as well as plenty of cellphone
interruptions, and on-stage nudity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD6kKYWgQa_xaZTUiEExiNYTJaiv72EfiP83wEB8Q8v44dn1N38UtZxl66fVwUQzIpLKU7A0w4oI99SKu85yqnk3kVV2UuE6dNTZzmV_aCn1I_lwELDyb6-_IsE9ZHD6mRp7Vd2YvGss/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD6kKYWgQa_xaZTUiEExiNYTJaiv72EfiP83wEB8Q8v44dn1N38UtZxl66fVwUQzIpLKU7A0w4oI99SKu85yqnk3kVV2UuE6dNTZzmV_aCn1I_lwELDyb6-_IsE9ZHD6mRp7Vd2YvGss/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The lovers are represented by two six-metre high puppets and
voiced by wonderful opera singers. Towering over the cast and audience, Pyramus
and Thisbe are hardly beautiful in any conventional use of the word. Hastily
pieced together, the characters move around the stage as gracefully as
possible, clearly possessing human traits, while maintaining brilliant
mechanical elements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Krymov’s show wonderfully blends high and low art to create
something of a masterpiece from a short original source. Tired from laughing
and craning around the audience to ensure I caught every minute, I walked away
incredibly cheerful and amazed at the spectacle.</span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mmBfoIL9Z2E%2FUyDnEO6AiZI%2FAAAAAAAAAgc%2FjHM7keTCB4A%2Fs1600%2Fdownload%2B" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS-VP3-Pw_hSDeLNgljiG0PDRKr-uAMR3cHugDIc24YFUYkqoIpbPb2PxjhgNQ2t_VqH2TnPvbReCuMpt2L1duWKlhaj5v0qXJWgo8qf18gqkG8XcS6Fg633iXfAyk8fb5Sa8NKoY5qo/s1600/download+" -->Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-16106542437169746162014-03-13T11:56:00.001+13:002014-03-13T11:56:36.594+13:00The Other Scarlett<br />
<h5 style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #232323; font-weight: normal;">For </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The Lumière Reader, <a href="http://lumiere.net.nz/index.php/the-other-scarlett/" target="_blank">originally published</a> May 2013.</span></span></h5>
<h5 style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><b><span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">An
interview with English novelist and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.writersfestival.co.nz/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ff4b33; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Auckland Writers & Readers
Festival</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>guest
Scarlett Thomas.</span></span></b></h5>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXLYj8xUs6vTcACEliV1fNX-i6P-GLtAQWhNLZFa48Lhwa8NpcPJFaD5a8Ud3xGCuA-8GdDkJYGQYb6zZp2rHIRt0e5p1-_airugFIBF_8KBpJ2wmCM5zZsF-ONrCGwrQFUQGcW-VUHc/s1600/img_scarlettthomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXLYj8xUs6vTcACEliV1fNX-i6P-GLtAQWhNLZFa48Lhwa8NpcPJFaD5a8Ud3xGCuA-8GdDkJYGQYb6zZp2rHIRt0e5p1-_airugFIBF_8KBpJ2wmCM5zZsF-ONrCGwrQFUQGcW-VUHc/s1600/img_scarlettthomas.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="capsbold"><b><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #232323; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-transform: uppercase;">“A DELIGHT</span></b></span><span style="color: #232323;">, not
least for the quality of Scarlett Thomas’s writing,” Philip Pullman described
Scarlett Thomas’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">Our
Tragic Universe</span></em>, “Full of life and energy.” In 2011 Thomas was on
the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">Independent on Sunday’</span></em>s<span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> </span></i></span>list of
the UK’s 20 best young authors. At Unity Books on Tuesday, Thomas seemed to
live and breathe her books, reading from upcoming<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">The Seed Collectors</span></em>.
Kimaya McIntosh snares answers about Katherine Mansfield, Ethnobotany, and road
signs.<o:p></o:p></span><span id="more-6444" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #232323;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* *
*</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KIMAYA MCINTOSH: Are there other Scarletts
from the creative realms you like?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">SCARLETT
THOMAS: Do you mean do I like Scarlett Johansson? Yes. I think she’s hot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: A
common theme that pops up alongside your name is the devotion followers of your
work show. What do you think is the secret to this following?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: This
is impossible to answer! I don’t know. Perhaps they think I’m Scarlett
Johansson.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: Tell
me about a favourite author from New Zealand?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: My
favourite New Zealand writer is Katherine Mansfield. Every time I re-read her
stories I find something new. I particularly like ‘Bliss’, ‘Marriage a la
Mode’, and ‘Je ne parle pas Francais’. I very much enjoyed the novel<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">Electric</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Chad Taylor a few years back. I
really like Emily Perkins and am just getting into Eleanor Catton’s work, which
is fantastic so far.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: What
is your creative philosophy?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: My
whole creative philosophy is explained in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">Monkeys
With Typewriters</span></em>, but in a nutshell: be authentic; be beautiful; be
compassionate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHJTeKZ1Cg3tCiWM_mfbo8L9AhYEMplbrC3-lqS1wFQWhG-K6HSZwL4pwOzIXNKysWFBIw-mDVEXUgzGMLxy7CRdwuIJFA33YlXzkoe3_tbnZ1LOFprQllNV-0azPc9qejdjhCuCqS7k/s1600/monkeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHJTeKZ1Cg3tCiWM_mfbo8L9AhYEMplbrC3-lqS1wFQWhG-K6HSZwL4pwOzIXNKysWFBIw-mDVEXUgzGMLxy7CRdwuIJFA33YlXzkoe3_tbnZ1LOFprQllNV-0azPc9qejdjhCuCqS7k/s1600/monkeys.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM:
Influences as a writer?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: Recent
influences are the great writers of free indirect style, particularly Katherine
Mansfield. Tolstoy and Chekhov are also big favourites.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM:
Between your novels and your short stories, is there a character you’ve created
that you truly dislike?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #232323;">ST: If I
had, it would mean I’d made a huge mistake, and that the work was a failure.
I’ve created some very flawed characters for my new novel, but I love each one
of them with all my heart. I always ask my students if they love their
characters</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: black; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">—</span></span><span style="color: #232323;">even the
minor ones. Disliking a character is a sign that you have not worked hard
enough on your characterisation. Of course I have created types and flat
characters over the years</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: black; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">—</span></span><span style="color: #232323;">but I’m not proud of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: When
you look at the defining features of your leading characters, they are drawn
from you and your life, but which character would you want to be and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: Maybe
Apollo Smintheus. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a mouse god? I wouldn’t say
my characters are aspirational exactly, but I’d quite like to be Fleur from my
new novel. She’s very beautiful and a bit weird.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: Do you
have any words of wisdom for any budding creative writers out there?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST:
Remember that fiction is always about suffering, but that suffering can be
funny as well as painful. Tell your truth in your own way and you won’t go
wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: You’re
studying towards an MSc in Ethnobotany while working on your ninth novel,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">The Seed Collectors</span></em>.
Is this more than research for the new novel? What attracts you to Ethnobotany?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDNEYy98Ya0tnW5Vy5cWhjzCjTYQVs1xstjRUbSsFpnV024aps3tK4HILSYgQzgtj6FrlkHXKKKNhDmaG5KZ1hWdE_vQ3gkzcOmhnFozTegtRqCZkZnaQ44UY245fqfMngYUaMP4n5Mc/s1600/bf25d2064ba5f86ad84490c814044dd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDNEYy98Ya0tnW5Vy5cWhjzCjTYQVs1xstjRUbSsFpnV024aps3tK4HILSYgQzgtj6FrlkHXKKKNhDmaG5KZ1hWdE_vQ3gkzcOmhnFozTegtRqCZkZnaQ44UY245fqfMngYUaMP4n5Mc/s1600/bf25d2064ba5f86ad84490c814044dd1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #232323;">ST: I did
begin an MSc in Ethnobotany as research for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">The
Seed Collectors</span></em>. I completed all my essays, but in the end decided
not to do the dissertation</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: black; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">—</span></span><span style="color: #232323;">I needed the time to work on the novel. I guess in a way the
novel will be the dissertation! I learned some really cool stuff, particularly
from the botany classes. There was a lot to learn, too, considering that I
began from such an embarrassingly low level that I didn’t even know that
flowers turned to fruit. Being a student again</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: black; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">—</span></span><span style="color: #232323;">while at the same time being a senior member of staff in another
department</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: black; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">—</span></span><span style="color: #232323;">was a real
eye-opener, and I’m sure it has made me a better novelist. Basically, I got to
see myself at my worst: competitive, shy, arrogant, unfriendly, fussy. As the
teacher you are in control and that can hide a lot of flaws in your personality
(as well as exposing a lot of others, probably). Being a student put me back in
touch with the really horrible person I am inside. I was the one who didn’t
want to get mud on my shoes, or eat the weird leaf we’d just picked. I cheated
at the Fishing Game (designed to show how communities will naturally co-operate
without legal restrictions), refused to drink from a cup everyone else had used
when someone was demonstrating a ritual, and publicly berated an
environmentalist for still eating dairy products. But examining one’s ego is
what being a novelist is all about. The worst stuff makes the best (and
funniest) characters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">KM: What’s
exciting about coming to the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival, your
first trip to New Zealand?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ST: It’s
my first time in New Zealand, but I’m absolutely loving it. My partner is from
here, so I’ve heard a lot about the place over the years. Obvious attractions
are the beautiful fairytale landscape and the wonderful climate (I have not yet
strayed from the North Island). I’m also enjoying your road signs. They’re much
more philosophical than ours. Ours say things like ‘Keep Your Distance!’ Yours
say ‘Think about what’s behind you’ without telling you exactly what to think
or what to do about it.</span></span></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-1407371809870822852014-03-13T10:42:00.003+13:002014-03-13T10:43:26.532+13:00Book Review: I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai<br />
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Originally published on the<a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/book-review-i-am-malala-by-malala-yousafzai/" target="_blank"> Booksellers New Zealand blog. </a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwtfUx5jb1OvfnbkMo0kNH3-CwMswsPMyrMDy3owLInUIF5wfzYYWJMH7BoFtrwJq90AO0fOBJ007lQSiWJN2Uv0wwtLIRF8BEZ6gJKFabFOoRpBF5AGrimqLQscEfqXWDOBQqJdo4xU/s1600/i_am_malala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While some will have known her name
before 2012, Malala Yousafzai has become a household name after she was
shot in the head at point-blank range by the Taliban. Malala writes a rather
powerful prologue detailing what she remembers and has been told about the
shooting, titled ‘The Day My World Changed’, which I read on the bus on the way
to work. The gunman asks a crowded school bus “Who is Malala?”, and she is
shot. Tears welled in my eyes as I read the final line of the prologue “Who is
Malala? I am Malala and this is my story”, and I struggled to continue reading
in such a public arena, and so recommend reading this is a more private place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwtfUx5jb1OvfnbkMo0kNH3-CwMswsPMyrMDy3owLInUIF5wfzYYWJMH7BoFtrwJq90AO0fOBJ007lQSiWJN2Uv0wwtLIRF8BEZ6gJKFabFOoRpBF5AGrimqLQscEfqXWDOBQqJdo4xU/s1600/i_am_malala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwtfUx5jb1OvfnbkMo0kNH3-CwMswsPMyrMDy3owLInUIF5wfzYYWJMH7BoFtrwJq90AO0fOBJ007lQSiWJN2Uv0wwtLIRF8BEZ6gJKFabFOoRpBF5AGrimqLQscEfqXWDOBQqJdo4xU/s1600/i_am_malala.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Split into five parts, <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I Am Malala</span></i> is a well-written, insightful memoir.
It is full of powerful, and often harrowing, stories. Not only does it tell the
story of Malala’s early life, her family and community, and her being shot, but
it also tells Pakistan and the Swat Valley’s history, her family’s new life in
Birmingham, and the struggles she still meets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Malala tells the reader of her love
for her father, but a few pages later, talks of walking out in the street and
seeing the bodies the Taliban have left as warnings, with notes such as “Do not
touch this body until 11am or you will be next” left on them. Malala recounts a
trip to Abu Dhabi and feeling as if so many men were around her, “I told
myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life. Don’t
be afraid – if you are afraid you can’t move forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">She also is careful to remind the
reader that she was not the only person shot that day, and tells how she misses
her best friend Moniba. She explains that her new life is hard, “But like my
mother I am lonely … The girls at school here treat me differently. People say
‘Oh, that’s Malala’ – they see my as ‘Malala, girls’ rights activist’.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This autobiography was written with
British journalist Christina Lamb. While reading this book, a friend asked how
much I thought was written by Yousafzai herself. Books co-written with an
author, or in this case one of the world’s leading foreign correspondents,
often raises this question. However, with all the world knows about Malala
Yousafzai, it’s hard to imagine she would let someone else completely write her
own story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The book is also littered with
wonderful photos that give great insight in to Malala’s world; in the end, she
is just a girl wanting to learn. The dedication, comprising of simple 16 words,
made me stop and think hard about what I was about to read: “To all the girls who
have faced injustice and been silenced. Together we will be heard.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In a move that is probably not all
that surprising, in November this year,<i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> I Am Malala</span></i> has
been banned by Pakistani education officials from private schools. They claim
the book does not show enough respect for Islam and have called her a ‘tool of
the west’. The president of the Pakistani private schools association is quoted
as saying “Everything about Malala is now becoming clear. To me, she is
representing the west, not us.” No doubt she will have taken great offence to
these comments, but then again her interview on <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The Daily
Show</span></i> with Jon Stewart shows how amazing she is. Definitely
worth a watch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is hard to believe this young
woman, the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,
shortlisted for<i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> Time</span></i> magazine’s Person
of the Year, who spent her birthday in the United Nations making one of the
most powerful speeches ever to be uttered, is only 16. If this is her story up
to 16 years of age, there is no doubt in the world’s view that Malala Yousafzai
will change this world for the better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #373737; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">I am Malala: The Girl who stood up for
Education<br />
</span></i></b><span style="color: #373737;">by Malala Yousafzai<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br />
</span></b>Published by Little, Brown<br />
ISBN 9780297870920<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-2riBS9P-Io4%2FUyDUp223jPI%2FAAAAAAAAAfo%2F150kjM7YNiA%2Fs1600%2Fi_am_malala.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwtfUx5jb1OvfnbkMo0kNH3-CwMswsPMyrMDy3owLInUIF5wfzYYWJMH7BoFtrwJq90AO0fOBJ007lQSiWJN2Uv0wwtLIRF8BEZ6gJKFabFOoRpBF5AGrimqLQscEfqXWDOBQqJdo4xU/s1600/i_am_malala.jpg" -->Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-5402136994855304032014-03-13T10:40:00.001+13:002014-03-13T10:43:09.612+13:00Book Review: How to Sail A Boat, by Matt Vance<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Originally published on the <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/book-review-how-to-sail-a-boat-by-matt-vance/" target="_blank">Booksellers New Zealand blog</a>. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0mz1MCFtoQcx1b9TJ9S6aoD6tL8LgHASDnrQfR4_a2PFsnUZ_RjNVmONCNtBiXe3Kk4naxnMMA01P6ufQsFTOoXvo9DVbQtsQuKfpWOlrKiG3bniuENJsAnMG48cTv0FLe6smxLQDRKs/s1600/cv_how_to_sail_a_boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0mz1MCFtoQcx1b9TJ9S6aoD6tL8LgHASDnrQfR4_a2PFsnUZ_RjNVmONCNtBiXe3Kk4naxnMMA01P6ufQsFTOoXvo9DVbQtsQuKfpWOlrKiG3bniuENJsAnMG48cTv0FLe6smxLQDRKs/s1600/cv_how_to_sail_a_boat.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Having grown up in Taupo, people make
assumptions around my upbringing. They ask how often I went skiing, if I
enjoy fishing, and how much time was spent on boats out in the lake. The
answers to these are very few times, no I don’t, and not much at all. The
extent of my sailing knowledge is when I capsized the tiny boat I was sailing
for the first time at Kawau Island on school camp at 12. And this remains the
extent of my sailing knowledge, as author Matt Vance points out “If you are now
aboard and quickly leading through these pages to find out how to tack your
boat, you are in trouble.” Rather than teach the reader how to literally sail a
boat, Vance has created a fundamental guide to the body and soul of sailing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Divided into sections ranging from ‘I
see the sea’, ‘A most dangerous book’, and ‘Solo’, the thirteenth edition to
Awa Press’s Ginger Series does not disappoint. Vance uses stories of his own
sailing experiences to take you deep in to his sailing mind and manages to
create vivid images of the ocean, even when on land. “My favourite time to think
about boats is during meetings. When I’m asked to contribute I have to be
careful not to blurt out ‘Lee-oh’ or ‘She’s dragging’ in case I get taken the
wrong way.” He takes you below deck in ‘The Rat Effect’ to share in the less
than pleasant experiences aboard <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Siward</span></i>, where the
theory that too many sailors aboard a boat “the rat effect takes over: past a
certain critical density, rats in a cage go berserk.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Just occasionally you may find a
boat that is the love of your life. It will have many things, but most of all
it will have indefinable beauty.” Vance’s relationship with <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Siward</span></i> could be compared to the courting of a fine
woman from a very strict father, however, in this case the father still
actually owned the yacht and Vance made constant attempts to buy her off him.
Slowly he wore the owner down, being allowed privileges over the years, and his
persistence eventually finally paid off with while the owner selling some of
his soul to allow Vance to buy some of his back.<br />
<br />
The section ‘Sailors’ was a particular favourite, giving an insight in to
Vance’s views of the different types of sailors. There are, he explains, two
types of mariners: tinkerers who enjoy working on their boats and engines but
don’t enjoy sailing, and the small minority who have been “over the horizon”,
which Vance clearly falls in to. On top of this, he notes that 90% of boats are
rarely sailed, merely given maintenance every year or so, and the true sailors
equate to about half of the remaining 10%. The section ends with the tale of a
lovely couple (husband in white pants and wife in a sailor’s felt cap)
declaring over chardonnay “Of course we wouldn’t keep our boat here. The
cruising in Marlborough Sounds is far superior”. Deafening silence follows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The book closes with a list of
‘Dangerous Books’ every budding sailor should read, and a very detailed
glossary for all those readers who, like me, had no clue of the definition of
some of Vance’s stunning words. There is no need to have an in-depth knowledge
or sailing or boats to enjoy. This simple sentence sums up Vance’s life as a
keen sailor and loving member of many families both related and not, and in
itself is a succinct summary of this book: “‘Where’s your family?’ chirped the
smallest. I pointed to the yacht. Heraclitus was right: some things had
changed. I smiled. I wept.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #373737; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">How to Sail a Boat</span></i></b><span style="color: #373737;"><br />
by Matt Vance<br />
Published by Awa Press<br />
ISBN 9781877551857<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-66867459136032306552014-03-13T10:35:00.004+13:002014-03-13T10:43:41.058+13:00Book Review: Children of the Jacaranda Tree, by Sahar Delijani<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have awaken. Just filling in my backlog of reviews, will have an
update here today or tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This review was originally posted on the <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/book-review-children-of-the-jacaranda-tree-by-sahar-delijani/" target="_blank">Booksellers New Zealand blog</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Book Review: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children of the
Jacaranda Tree</b>, by Sahar Delijani<o:p></o:p></div>
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This book is available from bookstores now.</div>
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Based on the childhood experiences of the author, Sahar Delijani’s
debut follows Neda, Omid and Sheida – the Children of the Jacaranda Tree.
Delijani creates an intricate story, spanning years and set mostly in the city
of Tehran during and after the revolutionary war, but also in Iran’s Evin
Prison, and Turin, Italy.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Ed3YtIN1xQVwQTMtq9S1W254atgeIFNPRrYBQiA_VxlDhQuzFSpvzackpztexQNu11MmuWYxMWpLa5aypkQkS4gnxCkaR8SFAzu12WsI8ysvZbxPG0yAtWknf5Hku7ibI0q0WKNjHM/s1600/cv_children_of_jacaranda_tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Ed3YtIN1xQVwQTMtq9S1W254atgeIFNPRrYBQiA_VxlDhQuzFSpvzackpztexQNu11MmuWYxMWpLa5aypkQkS4gnxCkaR8SFAzu12WsI8ysvZbxPG0yAtWknf5Hku7ibI0q0WKNjHM/s1600/cv_children_of_jacaranda_tree.jpg" /></a>While a work of fiction, the novel is based on the experiences of
Delijani and her parents, who were imprisoned in Evin during the ‘80s. The
Q&A on her website gives some great insight in to her life and the story
behind her writing Children of the Jacaranda Tree. As one character says in the
novel, “It is all one big prison, Sheida. We are all in one big prison.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Generally I’ll pick non-fiction over a novel, however the ‘based on
real events’ element of Delijani’s novel gave me hope that I’d find something
to really enjoy. Delijani creates characters that are easy to empathise with,
although I’m never great with names and having many characters with similar
names meant I had trouble keeping them all straight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To its credit, Children of the Jacaranda Tree is easy to read and
(based on the large font and borders) not very long. The novel is divided in to
sections, each following the children at some point in time during the novel’s
1983 to 2011 span. Each section felt like a short-story in itself, rather than
a complete novel, leaving the story disjointed, and I found it hard to get back
in to the story if I’d put it down during a section. While Delijani has a
talent for writing, to me there felt to be a lack of depth to each sentence.
Throwing long words in to sentences that are already full of too many
adjectives made for awkward and over-written paragraphs. There are poignant
quotes that come from the novel, which brought the ‘real life’ feeling back for
me; “Childhood slips away when death settles in.” Slightly depressing, but the
reality people were faced with, not only in Iran, but the world over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t want to put anyone off reading Children of the Jacaranda Tree.
Google the book and you’ll find many reviews from people who dearly loved it.
If you want a heart-felt story, set during a truly interesting and harrowing
time in history, do take the time to check out this debut. No doubt we’ll be
seeing more from Sahar Delijani.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.sahardelijani.com/en/qa-with-sarah-delijani/" target="_blank">Link to Q&A on author’s website<o:p></o:p></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children of the Jacaranda Tree<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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by Sahar Delijani<o:p></o:p></div>
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Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson<o:p></o:p></div>
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ISBN 9780297869030<o:p></o:p></div>
</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-15157758319139484282013-07-04T13:47:00.000+12:002013-07-04T13:47:40.958+12:00'Full Throttle' book review<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
It's been a very long while since my last post. Working full time takes its toll on doing other things. But here's a review, and I'm just starting a new book too. I'm hoping to get some more writing done in these cold winter months. For now, enjoy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Book review:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Full Throttle by John Caldwell & Trish McLean with Paul Little</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I don’t think I’ve seen or read a flipbook since I was in intermediate.
This isn’t a criticism; with two slightly different covers, Full Throttle is a
refreshing change to the auto/biography genre, especially in an Australasian
setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeJ2azQrNcA0rucU8iY6HGpmzPCT1PBBVKtOQ4_tCLTiwuAq7SdCtnLOAi97mUjkjNG_JmQHKfSwfdhdduTYgMdEp1wbnt-pRoVm8zeFWxbsfz9sgcb596rYFQmplJI4daco6AvDYbCw/s672/cv_full_throttle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeJ2azQrNcA0rucU8iY6HGpmzPCT1PBBVKtOQ4_tCLTiwuAq7SdCtnLOAi97mUjkjNG_JmQHKfSwfdhdduTYgMdEp1wbnt-pRoVm8zeFWxbsfz9sgcb596rYFQmplJI4daco6AvDYbCw/s320/cv_full_throttle.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Full Throttle gives the life stories of CEO’s Trish McLean and John
Caldwell, and the history of Retailworld Resourcing, in New Zealand and
Australia. Despite being New Zealand’s second largest employer, RWR
acknowledges that retail often gets a bad rap, and provides an excellent
service to find excellent employees for high-quality jobs in New Zealand,
Australia, and The UK. Through John’s story especially, you can see where a
career in retail can take you, especially after the childhood he had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a flipbook, you read Trish’s story, flip the book over, read John’s
story, and then read their joint story of building the business and brand of
RetailWorld in the middle. The book uses a mix of first and third person, which
I personally didn’t enjoy (I prefer first person), but there really isn’t
anything wrong at all with it, just my own crazy reading habits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being a business thriving to one hit dramatically by the Global
Financial Crisis, RetailWorld morphed into a franchise to survive. And is still
going strong today. Trisha and John managed to pull through, despite some
incredibly tough times, and tell a story that really shows what amazing working
relationships (especially with the bank) can do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“If you go from running one café to owning 10 cafes, you are no longer
someone who runs a café. You are a business owner and you have to step up to
that role. We are now franchisors; we are not recruitment people any more.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The section about the business itself contains really great information
for anyone looking into launching a start-up, or just generally interested in
the world of business. The section has ‘take-aways’ at the end chapter, giving
tips and hints Trish and John have discovered during their time together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One thing I really did enjoy throughout Full Throttle is the sheer love
both Trish and John show for their business and the people who help them do
their job each day. I’ve always worked in really great retail stores, but I’m
aware of debacles that can happen within the industry, and it’s refreshing to
see people in charge of finding high-end management are actually fantastic at
their jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My one major criticism of the book is really only one based on my own
background in publishing – the final draft needed a really, really good
proofread. I’m distracted easily by hyphens and en dashes used interchangeably,
a lack of a fullstop, or basic grammatical mistakes. But this doesn’t take away
from what is, in essence, a really interesting story that you may not have
necessarily picked up off the shelf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All in all, a fantastic and engaging read for anyone interested in the
world of business, or just looking to read about two interesting and totally
different lives that came together to create a recruitment agency which still
thrives today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Full Throttle<br />
by John Caldwell & Trish McLean with Paul Little<br />
Published by RWR IP Partnership<br />
ISBN 9780473228279<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Originally published on <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/book-review-full-throttle-by-john-caldwell-trish-mclean-with-paul-little/" target="_blank">the Booksellers NZ blog</a></span></div>
Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-46646763038285633672013-04-17T03:13:00.002+12:002013-04-17T03:13:45.419+12:00One month down, eight more to go.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPbPWAnQ6smGXsfXJunKZREBPw29p51tExLUXqr9QjTnSAiquDxz7kfL1dY9th-3cMZiOjlZhqWfeb09PUOLLz3Z-oAnN8qHDXhPnKiOng5DE0-13cQUIPABsADD9Bx7bJg889fV4CWk/s1600/P3250036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPbPWAnQ6smGXsfXJunKZREBPw29p51tExLUXqr9QjTnSAiquDxz7kfL1dY9th-3cMZiOjlZhqWfeb09PUOLLz3Z-oAnN8qHDXhPnKiOng5DE0-13cQUIPABsADD9Bx7bJg889fV4CWk/s200/P3250036.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Phantom. Incredible.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For those of you who didn't know, I've been overseas for the last month. I flew out of Wellington on March 18th, spent 18 days in London, and have been in Philadelphia for the last 10 days. In all fairness, my days have blurred, so this will have random highlights and some pictures.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">England highlights:</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">1. Surprising an old high school friend in Brighton.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">2. Seeing Louis CK at the O2.</span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaxGl-w37pr8v3mnsdYIynqR11iwnugWGddDmLzOti9xbGhmIMKlL-4zLhlv1iw_88LdZts2Cg1tP2G2o9Cz880hb7EM16K1qNBL5i_S55ftTNFGrplYoL-sBcD6ONRgPM7sjuhOAqy0/s1600/P3290098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaxGl-w37pr8v3mnsdYIynqR11iwnugWGddDmLzOti9xbGhmIMKlL-4zLhlv1iw_88LdZts2Cg1tP2G2o9Cz880hb7EM16K1qNBL5i_S55ftTNFGrplYoL-sBcD6ONRgPM7sjuhOAqy0/s200/P3290098.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">David Nash at Kew Gardens.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">3. Seeing Phantom of the Opera.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">4. Visiting Kew Gardens.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">5. Going to Yale University Press and doing work experience.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">6. Watching the Cambridge-Oxford boat race.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">7. People watching on the tube.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">8. Walking around a city and remembering why I love history so much. History geek fo' life.</span></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvxNuSgxvCqwIZqhMEaX73vY5kC2aS9Hm_WIhWw1tmgJtqykdnLJpVTxLT-WdvIYE9uK8qRS3kgyj3l475iqbdxpFN39jj4YskrTVRIkrH1tR1atFh41waTpvq4VNxJ9BR6MNjlUrQ94/s1600/P4060116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvxNuSgxvCqwIZqhMEaX73vY5kC2aS9Hm_WIhWw1tmgJtqykdnLJpVTxLT-WdvIYE9uK8qRS3kgyj3l475iqbdxpFN39jj4YskrTVRIkrH1tR1atFh41waTpvq4VNxJ9BR6MNjlUrQ94/s200/P4060116.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Central Park. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">Then I flew to America, the land of the free.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">Highlights include:</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">1. Seeing Sister Act on stage.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">2. Seeing Aziz Ansari perform stand up.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">3. Visiting Hersheypark, and going 200 ft in the air, just to be slammed down at 75mph.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">4. Going to my first ever winetasting at Tolinos winery in Bangor, PA.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">5. Discovering the wonder of Netflix.</span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEn1Oy4L0oIjJOU4pHuFHrG_PZyYLWOVmAxuopWqNZWi0_Twkuaw6eSlMmgMfZNXbDn3wHaacIht5e5y8uL-WFAvUykev1p5xDJM7dlmUcZsqtcfLTBppFMinRyLmHIKd62SLS7TTbck/s1600/P4090138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEn1Oy4L0oIjJOU4pHuFHrG_PZyYLWOVmAxuopWqNZWi0_Twkuaw6eSlMmgMfZNXbDn3wHaacIht5e5y8uL-WFAvUykev1p5xDJM7dlmUcZsqtcfLTBppFMinRyLmHIKd62SLS7TTbck/s200/P4090138.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Phillies vs. the Mets.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">6. Eating at PF Changs.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">7. Just walking around Central Park.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">8. Catching a Phillies game and singing 'Take me out to the ball game' in the 7th innings.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Lots of people said to me I wouldn't want to come home. But that's far from the truth. Travelling alone gets lonely after a while. Plus I miss my bed.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">See you soon New Zealand.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;">K.</span></span></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-66954905668954713102013-02-13T10:09:00.001+13:002013-02-15T13:10:18.564+13:00'This is How You Lose Her' review. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TDjITpaONhEm3R83T8vbkFdaLbxa_-DsaD-0CQaUfF3MoPgeRB5kEVw7dDAM1CInyKPP5w9WOXw3nb7rErCVoFChxyNcCDzQcKifC3nlw_24BeTP5AioqGyzbQKJcbTK5XE2Tf59lAQ/s1600/img_thisishowyouloseher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TDjITpaONhEm3R83T8vbkFdaLbxa_-DsaD-0CQaUfF3MoPgeRB5kEVw7dDAM1CInyKPP5w9WOXw3nb7rErCVoFChxyNcCDzQcKifC3nlw_24BeTP5AioqGyzbQKJcbTK5XE2Tf59lAQ/s200/img_thisishowyouloseher.jpg" width="123" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I wrote a review for <em><a href="http://lumiere.net.nz/" target="_blank">The Lumi<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span>re Reader</a></em>.</span> Usually I review for <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Booksellers NZ</a>, and usually I stick to non-fiction because it's just what I really like. But I starting volunteering for <em>Lumi<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span>re</em>, and when asked to review a book of short stories, I figured, why not? So <em>This is How You Lose Her </em>by<em> </em>Junot Díaz was given, I read, and I reviewed. And I found it harder than I expected. But it was finished, and it was published yesterday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And here it is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">This is How You
Lose Her</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">Pulitzer
Prize winner Junot Díaz on the power of love.</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span></i> </div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ; text-transform: uppercase;">Take a professor from MIT</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">, one who has previously won a Pulitzer Prize and was the recipient of a
Genius grant, give him five years, and what will he produce? A collection of
short stories based around the universal—and unexpected—theme of love, and an
annoying feeling of wanting to know how much of this is based on his own life.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s been
five years since Junot Díaz’s last book, the Pulitzer Prize-winning <i>The
Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i>, and only his third book overall. The
character of Yunior introduced in his first book, <i>Drown</i>, serves as the
narrator in <i>Oscar Wao</i>, and Diaz has stuck with him again for <b>This Is
How You Lose her</b>.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comprising of
nine equally fantastic stories, Yunior tells us about the power and
impossibilities of the love he’s experienced. Yunior is a character we should
hate; everything he does just makes us want to yell at him. And yet I
sympathised with him, despite the voice in my head saying “he’s a dick.”
Although the opening of the book sets up what is to come over the collection of
stories, there’s still some great surprises to come. Yunior explains in the
opening story, ‘The Sun, the Moon, the Stars’: “I’m not a bad guy. I know how
that sounds—defensive, unscrupulous—but it’s true. I’m like everybody else:
weak, full of mistakes, but basically good. Magdalena disagrees though.” And
sure, we probably shouldn’t be rooting for him—after all, he makes the same
mistakes over and over—but as Yunior tries so hard to make things right, we
can’t help but side with the underdog.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">What struck
me about <i>This is How You Lose Her </i>is the way Yunior lets us into his
life as though you’ve been talking smack with him for years. “You know how it
is,”, he says, as if nudging us in the arm after explaining his actions.
Suddenly we’re complicit in Yunior’s crimes. But not just his crimes: his
father’s, his brother’s. But then he turns, and Yunior bares his soul by
imagining the relationship between his father and mistress in New Jersey while
the rest of the family are back in Dominican Republic; and then again through
the love/hate relationship with his brother. This intimacy Díaz creates makes
us want to keep turning the pages, to find out whose crimes you’ll discover
this time, and who’s going to be hurt.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">This intimacy
is fuelled by the changing narratives between stories. Díaz alternates between
first- and second-person narrative seamlessly and without hesitation. I was in
the shoes of Veronica when Yunior relays their love back to her in ‘Flaca’; I
was Yunior in ‘Miss Lora’, trying to figure out if getting involved with an
older lady is a smart idea, and then there I am again, the cheater, in ‘The
Cheater’s Guide to Love’—I don’t want to be, but it’s too late.</span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">I used the
word unexpected to describe this theme of love because as we read, Yunior
guides us through<i> </i>different types of love. And these aren’t just his
female conquests; as the blurb explains, it’s about “passionate love, illicit
love, fading love, maternal love.” Diaz’s characters are human in a wonderfully
tragic way, from his descriptions of them, through to the way love makes them
act. Yunior introduces us to Pura in ‘The Pura Principle’, and explains that
she’s Dominican, “As in fresh-off-the-boat-didn’t-have-no-papers Dominican,”
and so she ends up in New Jersey with a kid, free-loading off anything she can
sink her claws in to. ‘The Cheater’s Guide to Love’ gives us Elvis, the
committed-to-his-family best friend of Yunior who’s sleeping with anything else
that moves on the side. While I’m not saying this is how the whole world acts,
Díaz captures something real about these characters, which begs the question
how many of these people feature, or have featured, in Díaz’s own life.</span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">After such a
defensive opening and the realistic characters that feature, the nagging question
of what’s real and how much is dramatised is there. Yunior takes us into his
life, makes us a real part of it. But how much of it is a fictional character’s
life, or the author’s? Yunior has been referred to a quasi-autobiographical
character, after first appearing in the early 1990s. Recently in an interview
with the <i>New York Times</i>, Diaz stood for the duration of the interview
due to major back surgery; in ‘The Cheater’s Guide to Love’, Yunior discovers
he has a serious back problem. The more I researched Díaz, the more parallels I
began to draw, and the more I needed to know what was real and what wasn’t. But
after finishing the book, that feeling went away. While reading <i>This is How
You Lose Her</i>, everyone’s going to make up their own mind about Díaz and
Yunior, and their relationship. I like to believe it’s mostly real; I doubt
I’ll ever really know. And ultimately, everyone’s going to come away from these
stories knowing something more about themselves, their lives, their friends. I
have.</span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
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</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><span style="font-size: small;">It takes some
seriously great writing to get me interested in fiction, and without a doubt
everyone needs to be following Junot Díaz. But have a Spanish to English
translator within reach while you read—it helps.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #232323; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #232323; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Original source of the review: <a href="http://lumiere.net.nz/index.php/this-is-how-you-lose-her/">http://lumiere.net.nz/index.php/this-is-how-you-lose-her/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He's a rather facinating man, Díaz. Professor of Creative Writing at MIT, only written three books, two of which are novels, and still one of the biggest up-and-coming names in fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've been helping at <em>Lumi<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span>re </em>with some proofreading and transcribing too. Check out the site, it's pretty choice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm currently working on another review at the moment for Booksellers, will have it up in the next few weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">K.</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-60517169629893268462013-01-20T09:33:00.000+13:002013-01-20T12:47:53.613+13:00"That's not writing, that's typing."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHc-W8w0yqK58WfC6K0rCb8t2w6eXhMwtuxU7ls_liCrlkh4LFCb4ZCfnpFUbnXNtfFvAXFxFOhep9v-zy-1SYgPEDZMxEp_-z7xj9hNoG6whS8dER8ju6_pcCZk23nBkjEjnOxsBIGwk/s1600/il_fullxfull.346820898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHc-W8w0yqK58WfC6K0rCb8t2w6eXhMwtuxU7ls_liCrlkh4LFCb4ZCfnpFUbnXNtfFvAXFxFOhep9v-zy-1SYgPEDZMxEp_-z7xj9hNoG6whS8dER8ju6_pcCZk23nBkjEjnOxsBIGwk/s320/il_fullxfull.346820898.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would say it's noticeable I've been MIA for a little while, with the exception of reviewing. Life has been rather hectic the last few months, and then it settled, and now it's back up and busy. Unfortunately the work I've been producing recently has looked more like typing than writing, so hopefully things will settle soon. Bit of a rant below, you have been warned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So in November my year of publishing came to a close, and while it was one of the most fantastic years of my life, it was also the busiest ever. Four and a half years at university did not prepare me for how busy I would be this year. I spent the year editing copy, checking images in Photoshop, learning very quickly how to use inDesign, creating marketing and publicity plans, dealing with clients, and everything in between.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The year ended with a pretty sweet party, and luckily I was able to find a job before Studylink stopped lending me money. Until mid-March, you'll find me in the Tower building on Customhouse Quay in the offices of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. I'm helping out with proofreading, so you'll see me reading for eight hours a day, my eyes are loving me this summer. They're in the middle of publishing technical standards and needed some extra eyes to proof. NZICA has been a really fantastic place to work so far; while the content isn't the most riveting, the people I work with are simply great. They've been wonderful at making me feel welcome, and I'll be sad to be leaving when that day comes.<br /><br />So I had from 21st December until 7th January off work. A nice decent break to spend with the family, and mostly just sitting around, reading and not doing much in general. Christmas was an adventurous time - drove to Taupo on Christmas Eve for the night, and come home to Wellington via Masterton on Christmas Day. My brother and sister-in-law were here from Philadelphia, the first time I've seen them since 2010, so that was pretty excellent. New Years was spent quietly at a friend's in Petone, having a BBQ, some cider and sitting on the island in the middle of the road waiting for the fireworks. They never came.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, I did get to go and hang out with some meerkats at Wellington Zoo before New Years. That was choice. Here's a photo. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNhVzBnLsXZBZb_Gp5QAzXfDM4Z3wFF228majgUwP-TUhPl6DAKqpcJM1KBvcIwrI1kzDv0Fz2HvD8Z7cEMh5ghqYWasxpBpN74ZlbF6jfDTkcojwZXOYzYfa_hPBmGZIiU-6AX5cQAA/s1600/1204_10151235162094962_924449231_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNhVzBnLsXZBZb_Gp5QAzXfDM4Z3wFF228majgUwP-TUhPl6DAKqpcJM1KBvcIwrI1kzDv0Fz2HvD8Z7cEMh5ghqYWasxpBpN74ZlbF6jfDTkcojwZXOYzYfa_hPBmGZIiU-6AX5cQAA/s320/1204_10151235162094962_924449231_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are more new and exciting things coming up: moving flats, some new reviews and adventures. Stay tuned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">K.</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-24012455251904749682012-11-28T06:52:00.003+13:002012-12-01T12:25:03.682+13:00'Secrets and Treasures' book review<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, it's been a while. Much to tell and less time to do it in. But for now, a review.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tovMJdQXgQEVFsyAX2_h7r1-9foM9Ae78DOncCHXrFuxJ9hjGSDuumt7nWuOfhP_8iw8_hMgY12F30mnmapEh7-foxYXf3do7oKmCedIbJBetDbLwAM0o3in4lZhzDIokXnHj09DoA4/s1600/cv_secrets_and_treasures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tovMJdQXgQEVFsyAX2_h7r1-9foM9Ae78DOncCHXrFuxJ9hjGSDuumt7nWuOfhP_8iw8_hMgY12F30mnmapEh7-foxYXf3do7oKmCedIbJBetDbLwAM0o3in4lZhzDIokXnHj09DoA4/s1600/cv_secrets_and_treasures.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>From the original post by <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/book-review-secrets-and-treasures-our-stories-told-through-the-objects-at-archives-new-zealand/" target="_blank">Booksellers NZ</a>, book review: </b><i><b>Secrets
and Treasures: Our Stories Told Through the Objects at Archives New Zealand</b><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This book is in bookstores now. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just so it’s out there, I love history. Always have, always
will. The teacher always made the difference for me when studying any subject
and this book is no different. <i>Secrets
& Treasures</i> is written like Ray Waru is standing with you, talking and
teaching you about every detail he picked up in the short time he had at
Archives New Zealand, while holding up amazing photos to accompany his words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The book itself is simply beautiful, to compliment the
outstanding work inside. Waru has done a huge amount of research, and has said
in interviews the idea started with the tapes from the Erebus disaster (a topic
which takes up eight pages of this almost 400 page book). The book is split in
to five parts plus an introduction, and covers a huge range of topics, from the
little-known Declaration of Independence of 1835, to the creation of New
Zealand’s own currency in 1935, to the complaints the film censor received
about The Life of Brian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Part 4 ‘The Black Museum’ is the section that sucked me in
the most.</b> <b>As the name suggests, it’s full of the secrets your grandma probably
remembers but never wanted to tell you.</b> These include the Crewe Murders, the
Parker-Hulme murder and Amy Bock the ‘male bride’. My favourite part from the
section is the story of The Bones in the Box. The first page is dominated by a
photo of a seemingly harmless box, which, of course, contains bones. More
correctly, the cranium of Francis Roy Wilkins. The story of Wilkins is hugely
interesting and shrouded in mystery – his murder in 1947 is still unsolved.
Creepy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Waru’s writing is really quite flawless; it flows easily,
making what could have been a very dry and uninteresting book into something
that makes you keep wanting more. Although I wouldn’t put it in to the ‘coffee
table book’ genre, it is something you can pick up and just flick through. Pick
a page and start reading, or as I did, start at the beginning and read right
the way through.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Waru doesn’t overbear you as the reader with information;
he’s picked up some of the key moments from New Zealand’s history, and
carefully written about them in such a way you just want to keep turning the
pages. He’s not long winded – he knows what he wants to say, and does so in a
timely fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To go along with Waru’s text is some stunning photography.
All of the new shots were taken by <a href="http://manipula.co.nz/" target="_blank">David Sanderson</a>, an employee of Archives New
Zealand, and an amazing photographer in his everyday life. There is a fantastic
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XL8t42y8BZg" target="_blank">YouTube clip</a> of Sanderson explaining how the cover image was shot. It’s
definitely worth a watch (click on the link, do it), I don’t have a huge interest in photography, but it
totally blew my mind learning the ways you can use a camera if you know how.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although the text stands really well on its own, there’s no
way this book would work without the images. Sanderson’s ability to capture
something beautiful in the axle that supposedly weighed down the body of Harvey
Crewe, or a reel canister filled of scenes literally cut from film reels, is
really remarkable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The depth and manner of Secrets & Treasures make it a
definite must for every home around New Zealand. Waru’s words with Sanderson’s
photos make it easy to read from cover to cover, or just to pick up and flick
through when it’s sitting on your table. I can think of at least five people I
would definitely buy this for at Christmas, it should be on everyone’s list. I
haven’t even begun to cover what the book contains in this review. Trust me,
it’s worth a look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">New Zealand history may not span over a huge number of
years, but the depth of history we have discovered and have documented is
amazing for a small country. And this book shows off a really small part of it
incredibly well. <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2536141/ray-waru-archived-treasures" target="_blank">Waru said on Radio New Zealand</a> he believes there’s easily a
series of books to be written about the items hidden away in the depths of
Archives New Zealand. I believe it’s something that should be invested in –
people often perceive history books to be dry and boring, but Secrets &
Treasures throws that theory out of the water. Plus, every day history is made,
so there’s always going to be material for the books. There’s no end to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Secrets and Treasures: Our Stories Told Through the Objects
at Archives New Zealand</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">by Ray Waru<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Published by Random House<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ISBN 9781869796891</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Review book supplied by Random House NZ via Booksellers NZ.</b></span></div>
Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-10230148066441992612012-09-19T17:45:00.001+12:002012-09-20T14:56:11.097+12:00'This is Not the End of the Book' review<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>From <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/book-review-this-is-not-the-end-of-the-book-by-umberto-eco/" target="_blank">the original post on the Booksellers blog</a>, book review: </b></span><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is Not the End of the Book</i></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYtPux8l4-I6S1tVmO5DBTI6erB1q0gCok8YdXN6MHh05sHFneylDFf5G9FNJMIlE8TLQKMOTneDoS1GfzgGXRroXJgS0XCH1Si8I4lGb1X_xM3gx3NGp9xeRt99a6QRSXlDpT2R6NSk/s1600/9780099552451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYtPux8l4-I6S1tVmO5DBTI6erB1q0gCok8YdXN6MHh05sHFneylDFf5G9FNJMIlE8TLQKMOTneDoS1GfzgGXRroXJgS0XCH1Si8I4lGb1X_xM3gx3NGp9xeRt99a6QRSXlDpT2R6NSk/s320/9780099552451.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This book is in
bookstores now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“We are living in a changing, moving, renewable, ephemeral
world, at exactly the same time that, paradoxically, we’re living longer and
longer lives.” Jean-Claude Carrière.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a publishing student, I’m hugely interested in the format
publications take, and where the future will take us. My family got a Windows
computer when I was 8, and since then I’ve never been without one around. From
that point in 1998, the technology has changed so dramatically, it’s hard for
anyone to guess where it’s going to go next. Now take a look at the print book
– it has existed, more or less, in some form since the invention of the
printing press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is Not the End of the Book is a series of conversations between Italian
novelist Umberto Eco (U.E.) and French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière
(J-C.C.), and curated by French writer and editor Jean-Philippe de Tonnac (J-P
DE T.). Split in to chapters, the book holds a range of subjects, with the
chapter titles being quite fun, from ‘The book will never die’, to ‘In praise of
stupidity’ to the much more sentimental ‘What will happen to your book
collections when you die?’ Held in their homes, I imagine three older men,
sipping whiskey and discussing the finer points in life. And to them, these
points are books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Combined, Eco and Carrière boast a book collection of around
90,000 titles, including over 3,000 rare and ‘ancient’ books. While pangs of
jealousy fill my mind, one can’t help but let them boast; they deserved it. And
that’s how the rest of book went for me: pangs of jealousy amongst what one
could perceive as bragging about amazing lives lived. By lives, I mean theirs,
as well as all the others these men are schooled on, from ancient civilisations
to their families. On the odd occasion I would read a sentence out to my partner,
he would say “I really don’t care, they just sound pretentious and annoying”,
or something along those lines. I didn’t see it has pretentious or boastful, I
view this book simply as old friends discussing days gone by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I say days gone by, I mean way, way gone by. Eco and
Carrière cover every era they can talk about, which between them goes from the
modern era to Renaissance Italy to the lost library of Alexandria. They talk
through the years, reminding people that words have been written on some
surface for ages, from rocks to papyrus to Gutenberg with his printing press.
They have a very fascinating conversation about ancient civilisations and how,
when posed with the threats of other nations, they maintained their culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">J-C.C. points out,
“…All of the great civilisations asked themselves the same question: what to do
with a culture under threat? How to save it? And what to save?” With U.E.
replying, “…it is easier to save scrolls, codices, incunabula and books rather
than sculptures or paintings.” I am always in awe that we know so much about so
long ago, thanks to the forward thinking of these people.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite their love of the book, both are aware of the
changing nature of technology. When thrown the question from J-C.C., “Your
house is on fire – what would you save first?” U.E. replies, “…the first thing
I would save is my 25-gigabite hard drive, which contains all my writing from
the last thirty years.” I have no doubt nowadays everyone would also be
grabbing their electronic devices, however U.E. goes on to note if he had time
he’d grab his oldest books – naming one from 1490. I think my oldest book dates
back to the 1960s…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For those that are worried that the book may die, don’t
despair, and for those that really do believe that it will, I truly believe
you’re wrong. So do Eco and Carrière; read this book, it reminded me that the
book has been around in some format or another for so long, that it will always
exist – in some format or another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Cinema, radio and even television have taken nothing from
the book – nothing that is couldn’t afford to lose.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is Not the End
of the Book<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">by Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Published by Vintage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ISBN 9780099552451</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Review book supplied by Vintage, Random House via Booksellers NZ.</span></span></div>
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<br />Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-25319275558792132012012-08-05T19:36:00.000+12:002012-12-16T09:13:27.532+13:00I saw a film today, oh boy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyone that knows me can
tell you that I love The Beatles. Always have, always will. Thought I'd quote a
little Lennon/McCartney for this post, as I did indeed see a film,
unfortunately it was actually yesterday, and one on Tuesday too, but I
think you get the jist. Plus these are both from the New Zealand International
Film Festival in Wellington, which is on for another week.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ptsLJVNL7MwaIhTvU4sEyQgrGC_8PCEjk4jL9qBk4Q8P58uT8Bbf6g9NEV6gA5BozzPs0N2Bdq-c37pfxGGnQ0h4xIDLxqE9ukU8ALxTS5j3cO6n9iMMmp9_f2CgRRABabq7usUuGwQ/s1600/6104951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ptsLJVNL7MwaIhTvU4sEyQgrGC_8PCEjk4jL9qBk4Q8P58uT8Bbf6g9NEV6gA5BozzPs0N2Bdq-c37pfxGGnQ0h4xIDLxqE9ukU8ALxTS5j3cO6n9iMMmp9_f2CgRRABabq7usUuGwQ/s320/6104951.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Album cover.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
Tuesday's film was<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TcpUI3BxbQ&list=UU-6os2sftEC2npV1dUxHkqw&index=0&feature=plcp" target="_blank">Persuading the Baby to Float</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>at Te Papa's Soundings Theatre, huge thanks to the New Zealand Book Council for the tickets.
Whilst in America, Norman Meehan began creating songs from poetry. Starting
with E. E. Cummings as an assignment, he gained the stunning voice of Hannah
Griffin to sing Cummings' words. The combination of the poems, Hannah's voice,
and Meehan's amazing composing abilities, beautiful songs are magically
created. Meehan then moved to using Bill Manhire's poetry as lyrics, and began
creating songs of, and for, New Zealand, with Hannah providing the vocals once
again. After Manhire got wind of what was happening, the project took
off.<br />
The latest CD to be released is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.rattlerecords.net/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=1&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=146&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=215" target="_blank">Making Baby Float</a>, which obviously is the main subject of
this movie. Four performances have stuck with me, almost a week after seeing
it. These were<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWn2u0Hf1qM&feature=relmfu" target="_blank">Making Baby Float</a></i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BceEW6An24" target="_blank">The Hawk</a></i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Kevin</i> and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Voices/Angels</i>. Seriously, check
out those two links. I just feel sorry for you that you won't hear<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Kevin<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Voices/Angels</i>, because those
definitely played with my mind.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Kevin<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>was written for a friend of
Manhire's that passed away (or was about his grief - can't quite remember). As
I lost a friend a few years back, this song just make me choke up. Hannah's
voice is just absolutely stunning, I'm in awe and envy of her!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Voices/Angels</i> was a
special piece - instead of poems being put to music, Manhire wrote a poem to a
piece of music Meehan had written a few years back. If the opportunity to see
Hannah and Norman perform ever comes up, go. It really is one of the best New
Zealand performances you will see.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVqnriUMe1W3JafePiAAJA1QCKvz4Mcoo_ftDoeMSe39bZAETXD4V2WMVh4cQ95cUY12PR0LYq5s8IytcCEZ7px0b9x5gRkdbde044hs_0_HMI-L8hwV3sT0D1axjPnuu4ztiBwqjhmo/s1600/bonjourtristesse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVqnriUMe1W3JafePiAAJA1QCKvz4Mcoo_ftDoeMSe39bZAETXD4V2WMVh4cQ95cUY12PR0LYq5s8IytcCEZ7px0b9x5gRkdbde044hs_0_HMI-L8hwV3sT0D1axjPnuu4ztiBwqjhmo/s320/bonjourtristesse.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Saucy much? I really wish<br />I had this edition now.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Earlier in this blog, when I started up my design scrapbook, I
used</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Catcher in the Rye<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">as an example of cover design, as
it's easily one of my favourite books. That might be cliché, but my other
favourite book ever is probably one you've never heard of, and that's the film
I actually saw yesterday.</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bonjour
Tristesse<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">was written
by Françoise Sagan in 1954 at 19, after she failed</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">her </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">baccalauréat and
I assume didn't know what else to do but write a novel. It was a complete
success, and she spent the rest of her days writing, addicted to
drugs, and hanging with Capote and Gardner. The French, so cool.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The film adaptation of</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bonjour<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">was made by Otto Preminger in
1959, and that's what I saw with my Dad yesterday. He gave me the book when I
was 15, after I asked for something to read. The film's a great representation
of the book, but I wouldn't call it the greatest adaptation. It alludes to many
things that aren't in the book, and isn't completely faithful to Sagan.
However, if you hadn't read the book, the film gives you a pretty good idea
about the shape and story of the book, and if you have read it, everything
makes sense and why Preminger chose to do things certain ways. Also the casting
is truly perfect. Jean Seberg gives a stunning performance as the naive Cecile, while
David Niven plays her playboy, adulterous father, and just for some famous people Deborah Kerr's in there too, as the mature but overbearing Anne. They're relationship is played up to a creepy
almost incestual thing, while isn't how it is in the novel, which really annoyed
me. But I really think this adaptation's worth a watch.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QOjP8xLQYWiokvX2N-nQOoaP7V3YrRYRlxd9NZLum_SnCP8G9oLCucf445wfGaqig2RfuuqF3PBtDGcE85qN6B_IaIta6KrmCJ2y3wq11jFYrVi_QtCNrbvJAnWSpk5oMjqa6nQTb4o/s1600/Bonjour_Tristesse_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QOjP8xLQYWiokvX2N-nQOoaP7V3YrRYRlxd9NZLum_SnCP8G9oLCucf445wfGaqig2RfuuqF3PBtDGcE85qN6B_IaIta6KrmCJ2y3wq11jFYrVi_QtCNrbvJAnWSpk5oMjqa6nQTb4o/s320/Bonjour_Tristesse_film_poster.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Love, love, love this image.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There are parallels to draw between Salinger and Sagan, something may critics
pick up on. I often refer to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Bonjour<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>as a female version of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Catcher<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>- both characters are pretty
annoying teenagers, that spend most of the book needing to grow up. Maybe that's
why they're my two favourite books, I don't know. But if you haven't read<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Bonjour</i>, please do, at least
once in your life. It's worth it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately I'm not making it to any other film fest' screenings, a student's life for me indeed. And if you're still reading down here and haven't done so, check out the links up there, definitely worth it. More blogging to come, just as my life starts to become much, much more exciting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">K.</span></div>
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-88641339063739952992012-07-26T20:32:00.001+12:002012-08-06T09:35:43.925+12:00Book review, the second.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From the <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/book-review-the-hungry-heart-by-peter-wells/" target="_blank">original post on the Booksellers blog</a>, book review: <i>The Hungry Heart.</i></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcnSejzhvO7F6qCBw9DFM1oGRzn2lplGjzuvUcMQKlQtlwJEMp7eZUJaP4iUH1vqtZIOc9J-AFLKSyIUmLZY2-8MizLS8R3Ym5cd_NlZBZTvrOqRturNA12a0IorLGzgHpsGDd0J1VD8/s1600/cv_the_hungry_heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcnSejzhvO7F6qCBw9DFM1oGRzn2lplGjzuvUcMQKlQtlwJEMp7eZUJaP4iUH1vqtZIOc9J-AFLKSyIUmLZY2-8MizLS8R3Ym5cd_NlZBZTvrOqRturNA12a0IorLGzgHpsGDd0J1VD8/s1600/cv_the_hungry_heart.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>This book is in stores now and is a finalist in the New Zealand Post
Book Awards. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“In winter, the milk freezes in the pantry, and the water in the
bedroom.” William Colenso.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As I write this, these words ring a truth for me and others I know –
student living, not all it’s cracked up to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When Booksellers NZ asked me to review a book from the New Zealand Post
Book Awards shortlist, I immediately jumped to the non-fiction –my favourite
genre. There I saw <i>The Hungry Heart</i>, and vaguely recognised the
name Colenso. Intrigued, I requested, and was given.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Most know William Colenso as the missionary that protested the Treaty of
Waitangi (he interrupted Hone Heke as he moved forward to sign), was kicked out
of the church for fathering an illegitimate (‘interracial’) son, and for
causing controversy when a new high school wanted to be named after him in
Napier. In <i>The Hungry Heart</i>, Peter Wells mentions all of these
things, while piecing together and creating a truly fascinating and detailed
biography of Colenso.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As a publishing student, I was pleasantly surprised to read of Colenso’s
added profession as a printer. He hand-set all 356 pages of the 1837 New
Testament in Maori, and printed it on a press that required two waka lashed
together to reach his house in Paihia – “It must have seemed as momentous as
the arrival of the Trojan Horse inside the gates of Troy.” Colenso picked up
the Maori language very quickly; this helped him create printed texts for
Maori, as well as helping the job he actually came to do, be a missionary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He also managed to create huge scandals in his life, and found himself
in the middle of many confrontations, some verbal, others physical. I don’t
want to ruin it for you, but Colenso was all over the place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The remarkable thing I find about this book is Peter Wells’ ability to
bring Colenso back so easily to a modern, and mostly commercial, audience.
While reading, Wells involves you in every aspect – as he discovers more, you
discover more about Wells’ life and journey to find Colenso, and about Colenso’s
life. There are constant uses of ‘let’s’ – “Let’s look a little further…” Wells
doesn’t mind reminding you that you’re reading about him writing about Colenso,
the subtitle <i>Journeys with William Colenso</i> really does fit.
You’re following Wells’ journey to find Colenso, who really was on his own life
journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the most basic way I can say it – I thought this book was fantastic.
Wells has done an amazing job of research and writing to create it, and for
that I thank him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The one downfall is the physical weight – the book is filled with
stunning photography, pictures, letters, all of which are printed on a lovely
glossy and heavy paper to make each page stand out. I completely understand the
need for this, but when it makes my bag weigh twice as much, I’m less likely to
take it as my everyday book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The book travels through all of Colenso’s life, focusing on his life in
New Zealand since this is where he spent the majority of it. This is really the
time that defined him; I have no doubt Colenso would agree with that. He had
some serious highs and lows throughout his life, but without all of these,
would New Zealand still know who William Colenso is today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>The Hungry Heart</i></b><b> </b><br />
by Peter Wells<br />
Published by Vintage, Random House NZ<br />
ISBN 9781869794743 (Hardback)<br />
ISBN 9781869794750 (Ebook)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Review book supplied by Vintage, Random House via Booksellers NZ.</span></span></div>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-70164129532749730442012-07-10T14:17:00.002+12:002012-08-06T09:35:53.305+12:00First book review, oh the excitement.<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">A while ago I volunteered to start
reviewing books for Booksellers NZ. My first assignment, you ask? <i>Black Tide</i>.
Oh yes. Here it is, and here’s the <a href="http://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/book-review-black-tide-the-story-behind-the-rena-disaster-by-john-julian/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">link to the original post</span></a> by
Booksellers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_4ZlWoTffUIFx7B7VUTyLmlM44edzQEvRky0hbM0dPPhLSB1IjAL3y4UdcxiyptrBzWhNj3Bm_MA3jO-iCW6wxeXPgEf-c8l_xDlkiKPSpM6sFGXuz5zzanYhsmkOxJUbMrr5kITCQ4/s1600/cv_black_tide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_4ZlWoTffUIFx7B7VUTyLmlM44edzQEvRky0hbM0dPPhLSB1IjAL3y4UdcxiyptrBzWhNj3Bm_MA3jO-iCW6wxeXPgEf-c8l_xDlkiKPSpM6sFGXuz5zzanYhsmkOxJUbMrr5kITCQ4/s320/cv_black_tide.jpg" width="209" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">I
don’t think it’s a huge assumption to think everyone knows what the Rena oil
disaster is; if not, there’s a chance you've been out of the country and not up
to date with current events or you live under a rock.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Described as New Zealand’s worst
maritime environmental disaster, the spill was caused by the grounding of MV
Rena on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga on 5 October 2011. Black
Tide: The Story Behind the Rena Disaster by John Julian tells of the ship’s
history, the wreck, the first five days, and carries on through to explaining
the city of Tauranga and the future of Rena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Black Tide is an easy-flowing book and
easy to read too; the writing style of John Julian creates a simple story that
is straightforward to follow and understand. The two sections for photos are
great quality and add to the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Julian goes in to great detail about
the Rena and the surrounding disaster, it is clear he knows his stuff. He
explains the history of the ship, built in 1990 and known as Zim America; each
chapter begins with a quote, some directly in reference to Rena, others from
difference sources and times but still on the topic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">My favourite is at the start of chapter
six, The Reef (p.119): ‘It was the Law of the Sea they said. Civilisation ends
at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always
right at the top.’ Hunter S. Thompson. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Julian also gives decent histories at
the beginning of chapters before launching in to the disaster itself. For
example, a history of oil spills is given (p72). This attention to detail is
great; he reflects on these spills while explaining elements of Rena too.
However, I can’t help but get some impression of fleshing out. At 208 pages,
Black Tide isn’t particularly long or short, but it did come out rather
quickly.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Black Tide was released April 2012,
after the ship split in half but before it stopped being a major issue for New
Zealand (which is clearly still is). Over the first few months, the news was
dominated with the event; slowly it’s been edging away from main news. However,
the cost to taxpayers was just a headline around the country ($35mill), as well
as the captain and navigation officer being jailed for seven months. By waiting
for a few more months, these elements could have been included in, instead of
attracting the feeling of a rush job to be the first book on the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">There were also a few minor mistakes in
the texts, my favourite being on page 27, ‘…Prime Minister John , then
transport…”. Not sure how ‘Key’ was missed out, considering the space isn’t
quite big enough to write it in either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The Rena disaster is no doubt a dark
time for our environment. Although the book has the main points and looks deep
into the disaster, instead of being mostly information one could find on the
internet, I really feel that Black Tide could have benefited greatly by waiting
for more of the story before being published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Review book supplied
by Hachette via Booksellers NZ. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Black Tide: The Story Behind the Rena
Disaster</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">by John Julian</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Published by Hodder Moa<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">ISBN 9781869712709</span></div>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-81197299600024386222012-07-09T14:17:00.001+12:002012-07-09T14:17:43.935+12:00The end's not near, it's here.<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yes, the end is here. Thanks to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obu1hVsc8IE" target="_blank">Band of Horses</a> for the title. And I think I've saved the best to last, well what I think is super pretty. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2Y00RwmX_jEQtMkUHPZgpZjIU54_O0uTHRvtTuRUCFkrNf7zBgbfjccnyzc_kjwhBTHuWnQW0fiMHHjBFbLS9CBhmZlLoDdBD-6cpyLmOjpx1plOjMx54eamla6LsbsGQaLSzvVlsfo/s1600/P6300009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2Y00RwmX_jEQtMkUHPZgpZjIU54_O0uTHRvtTuRUCFkrNf7zBgbfjccnyzc_kjwhBTHuWnQW0fiMHHjBFbLS9CBhmZlLoDdBD-6cpyLmOjpx1plOjMx54eamla6LsbsGQaLSzvVlsfo/s320/P6300009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQeLR_cWDHv7Duli8l5X7RynnkQ4w7zpchfzYncx6PqNFxbonWTxeO4vJggfKdDmOgPq1cQYgSIyg6OEXsmv4SmZp6d9S2jjR38-sv9Pj7e91J05iou2TocFxOXDwcQXFJaUCjMOOt1U/s1600/P6300010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQeLR_cWDHv7Duli8l5X7RynnkQ4w7zpchfzYncx6PqNFxbonWTxeO4vJggfKdDmOgPq1cQYgSIyg6OEXsmv4SmZp6d9S2jjR38-sv9Pj7e91J05iou2TocFxOXDwcQXFJaUCjMOOt1U/s320/P6300010.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>This is for You </i>by Rob Ryan was published in 2007, and when it first came out I pleaded with my sister, working at vicbooks at the time, to buy it for me. Being the loving sister, she did. And it is beautiful. Here's a picture of the dust jacket and book itself. The book explores themes of love and loneliness, and the prominent colours on the covers help to emphasis this. The thing that first caught my eye with this book with the bright red pinned against a very white background. As well as this, the cut-out nature of the book intrigued me. As did the endorsement by Sophie Dahl; the same cut-out lettering has been used for the endorsement, and she's pretty awesome - writing and modelling and stuff. The continuation of the red to the back cover is also a nice way to continue a theme. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before you ask, no I did not take this picture upside-down. When you take the dust jacket off, this is how the book looks - upside-down. I don't know if mine's an awkward dud or if this is how it's supposed to be - I've never seen another copy. But anyway, the red theme has continued through from the dust jacket, which makes me happy - red is the colour of love, people, and that's what this book is all about. If I saw this book on the shelf, without it's jacket, I'd still pick it up. The simplicity of the cover alone is enough to intrigue me, plus the bell on the front is pretty cute.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-SZYU5xTp_nFaBKBS1L4xkE_xsYnyKQnYvHdyOaI-8eCT5nQjnlmTkYRPozmyDnDC0hT3PjLScC_QJFLwEzatd6nTfPmXMNExZCuo2JFMRhtnbxeSNgDkKz15Y-gSgFM7WZ3rAffNXg/s1600/P6300003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-SZYU5xTp_nFaBKBS1L4xkE_xsYnyKQnYvHdyOaI-8eCT5nQjnlmTkYRPozmyDnDC0hT3PjLScC_QJFLwEzatd6nTfPmXMNExZCuo2JFMRhtnbxeSNgDkKz15Y-gSgFM7WZ3rAffNXg/s320/P6300003.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To the inside! Well almost the inside, to the end papers and dust jacket flaps! I'm a very sentimental person, and a bit of a hopeless romantic, so the first thing I saw when opening the book was the left-hand flap here. I love it. The typeface is the same as the cover - a handmade sans-serif that's actually pretty easy to read when you take the time. This isn't a book to rush through, the pages can be confusing, as you'll see soon. The endpapers are beautiful too, it's the first time I've seen ones that incorporate the actual title of the book into the pattern. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHleukL76DvTCEMl-lPhmdBZGqR20LFnMT59RRmK-Ik7Lh1mQ2vJcouvnigZZJQUtXHq3J511JjwmhaDHNn3i6Ow6PlF-fg650KTCqN8jowKOtvp0UwSYKC26clXzL_Zx0GdmsVXqYkyI/s1600/P6300004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHleukL76DvTCEMl-lPhmdBZGqR20LFnMT59RRmK-Ik7Lh1mQ2vJcouvnigZZJQUtXHq3J511JjwmhaDHNn3i6Ow6PlF-fg650KTCqN8jowKOtvp0UwSYKC26clXzL_Zx0GdmsVXqYkyI/s320/P6300004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As an illustrated book, there are no page numbers, which is nice. Each page does stick to a frame, as you'll see in later pictures. Ryan sticks to the margins, probably so no picture is wrecked if the cutting goes wrong. The green of this page stands out wonderfully, like the red, against the white stock. The green also tied in nicely to the leaves in this spread, as the man walks and thinks. The text is in the same all caps as the cover and flaps, enforcing his walking and thinking and making it super easy to read. So simple, and so lovely. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT_JNZCOBxHaaKy9NDdtyVzBrGTDJkIy-GLP0nMoOJFW1qvqFtl9PQASBOV8CGg2p1cWE0Kgv9JVP-Rj-yk5ihqY-E5AT-c9qnldNUa4aAo2Xan_c19Hj3Un9VYuXxTn4Dg-jTEu2MK0/s1600/P6300005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT_JNZCOBxHaaKy9NDdtyVzBrGTDJkIy-GLP0nMoOJFW1qvqFtl9PQASBOV8CGg2p1cWE0Kgv9JVP-Rj-yk5ihqY-E5AT-c9qnldNUa4aAo2Xan_c19Hj3Un9VYuXxTn4Dg-jTEu2MK0/s320/P6300005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is probably the hardest spread in the book to read. The pages mirror each other, as a son and mother talk. The colours compliment each other, while reflecting the gender of each character. The typeface is still the cutout style and a sans-serif, however it's in lowercase and much harder to read. This comes back to this being a book you read because you want to know what it has to say. It may make you work hard, but it's worth it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpbVUt0emlIGPdj4vOxGzFwkbAquihF-vknfgDCICBz36OOoaedXyfHegVvZhEXzXFPBRwzGIddlacMWdDcd4ji0AiRiAEdmr4LKN7XWT6_grmNFChiFCX9JI_kTyjYSAX2Gj17xdiqE/s1600/P6300006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpbVUt0emlIGPdj4vOxGzFwkbAquihF-vknfgDCICBz36OOoaedXyfHegVvZhEXzXFPBRwzGIddlacMWdDcd4ji0AiRiAEdmr4LKN7XWT6_grmNFChiFCX9JI_kTyjYSAX2Gj17xdiqE/s320/P6300006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's another full page spread. You can even see the stitches for the binding - still good quality. This has the easy-to-read all caps sans-serif, and really is just a beautiful page. You can see in this spread, and the previous one, the way Ryan does keep inside the invisible margins. By being consistent, it helps the reader to become familiar (to a basic level) with how each page will be laid out. I also like they way 'that' is stretched out over the two pages, there's no effort on his cutting to cram it or unbalance the heart.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtg-N25TrRWfwzgxvBP_KdvCa24XU-8Dq6X-a8lSkkFr33FWdvepTyL6AhxXh6e3jxgKE-SchMM4IDU02YrKRs1Je8zBINNSIZ2flZz54dTaLQGajYriYFWhu_sfFHPc_qP1R78-a67s/s1600/P6300007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtg-N25TrRWfwzgxvBP_KdvCa24XU-8Dq6X-a8lSkkFr33FWdvepTyL6AhxXh6e3jxgKE-SchMM4IDU02YrKRs1Je8zBINNSIZ2flZz54dTaLQGajYriYFWhu_sfFHPc_qP1R78-a67s/s320/P6300007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I just wanted to throw this spread in because it shows the theme of loneliness that's explored with love through the book. The first time I looked at it, I read 'I am not alone' but missed the 'And I wrote and wrote'. Ryan's ability to create a stunning piece of visual art that acts as great narrative too. This is one of the pages that you can actually see that the images are Ryan's cutout pieces of paper - bottom right-hand corner. Not sure if it's intentional, but it adds to this spread, since he tells the reader nothing's gonna happen until you start, and he started cutting and clearly never stopped. <a href="http://www.misterrob.co.uk/?page_id=5" target="_blank">He has a store even</a>!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp99rIO_vG0UseW4kuZXPr6A6ilsPLNZtDOn21l5lGDOYsy1iMrD8ye4iHtOOt-sk2urXJqS2LZi5wl3x-fCD42yUsBIQzIu3D-JyprdOvr78AntObicTLZruxde5VmbKwo1rxOx2nHo/s1600/P6300008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp99rIO_vG0UseW4kuZXPr6A6ilsPLNZtDOn21l5lGDOYsy1iMrD8ye4iHtOOt-sk2urXJqS2LZi5wl3x-fCD42yUsBIQzIu3D-JyprdOvr78AntObicTLZruxde5VmbKwo1rxOx2nHo/s320/P6300008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last spread I promise! It's the last pages of the book, so it kinda has to be anyway... I love that he's kept the fun cut-out for the dedication, while switching to a more traditional sans-serif for the imprint. It makes it super easier to read, and this is important information for some people. As with most illustrated books, the imprint appears at the back of the book. It doesn't disrupt the flow of the book, and since most people reading this book won't actually need to know this information, it makes the most sense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I see new things in <i>This is for You</i> every time I look at it, which is exactly what a good book should offer - continuous learning.</span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Man, this post has the best design ever! So proud of myself, it's only taken a few posts to get the hang of blogspot... But anyway, that's it from me about book design, my scrapbook is due in today. Unless something looks super awesome, then maybe I'll share it with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">K.</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-83768205472779865662012-07-08T18:31:00.000+12:002012-07-09T14:24:15.816+12:00One Day More.<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How good is that? The title of this post has a double meaning - there's one more day left until my assignment is due, and it's the name of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpGA_VRc1Ro" target="_blank">fantastic song</a> from the greatest musical ever. Yes people, Les Miserables. It's not secret that I love it. So much. My sister and I saw it in 2010 on the West End, and below you will see pictures from the booklet created for the 25th anniversary year of the show.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY5-3Ucrj9Yz_D9rlunpP9ZyYNeARHMP2jEDCuiIONnCWtBXGtorGXY25GvU3Cgpta2eNYX78HXxEgbFTMed5TgDoP7qsDFrOvPvlOeM5n3KQzZzm4bhS-Ez9Mo9As4Vqdo5oqpBksCQ/s1600/P6300225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY5-3Ucrj9Yz_D9rlunpP9ZyYNeARHMP2jEDCuiIONnCWtBXGtorGXY25GvU3Cgpta2eNYX78HXxEgbFTMed5TgDoP7qsDFrOvPvlOeM5n3KQzZzm4bhS-Ez9Mo9As4Vqdo5oqpBksCQ/s400/P6300225.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's the cover spread to the booklet. It's a simple stapled booklet, all printed on a nice glossy stock. The cover uses the well-known symbol of Les Mis, the illustration of Cosette by </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Émile Bayard. The typeface for the title and other text is one I think was created for the show - it's become the expected sight for Les Mis. The colours of the cover catch the eye, however I'm sure you'll be buying this more because of the content than the cover. The back image is taken from the show - </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Enjolras waving his French flag during the battle at the barricade (see, told you I love it). As this is for the 25th anniversary, the text at the top in yellow stands out and catches the eye against the smoky-white background. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNy6OBFaFCf0-6_0miQyVCV5sN8Blu0dgl62_4xCPOy4sG5dDvE8D144mACLoMnTh5lbkk5MtiWs3NvbO88ZLxPLrHy-72N1kL9RbHnsLt88uBNGDutreZABc59DYgxq8m2N0O7Enlw/s1600/P6300228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNy6OBFaFCf0-6_0miQyVCV5sN8Blu0dgl62_4xCPOy4sG5dDvE8D144mACLoMnTh5lbkk5MtiWs3NvbO88ZLxPLrHy-72N1kL9RbHnsLt88uBNGDutreZABc59DYgxq8m2N0O7Enlw/s400/P6300228.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here we have the first pages when you open the booklet, apologies for the glare on the left. The typeface for the title is the same as the front, as is the names of everyone on the left - they're also in all caps. This helps to distinguish the names from their roles for the reader, as well as just making it easy to read. The roles of people are in italics, and in a different, very basic sans-serif. This is surprising given the amount of text on the right side here, and in the pictures below. I do like the use of a column for the text, it doesn't take away from the images and the page, but is still prominent enough as it should be. The white typeface works well on these dark pictures, and it continues throughout without being an issue. The use of the red banner in the background gives stunning colour to the page, while tying it back to the image of Enjolras dead on the barricade. Sad. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep1IGDSjLbooxl2q2s5aAuKwsBBDY9SHYAS5wfgBw4CXSdxXti3TK_A0Jc3Y00kPRdHDsxwIjKH0Uj5yl3DlNB8h-4x3HYdPmD4gxehDokCVxqtGD_oA4pGVKcWHbd4aU6O1qYzkiPTg/s1600/P6300231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep1IGDSjLbooxl2q2s5aAuKwsBBDY9SHYAS5wfgBw4CXSdxXti3TK_A0Jc3Y00kPRdHDsxwIjKH0Uj5yl3DlNB8h-4x3HYdPmD4gxehDokCVxqtGD_oA4pGVKcWHbd4aU6O1qYzkiPTg/s400/P6300231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The top says 'Victor Hugo - France's Favourite Son'. So what better picture to accompany him than that of the '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vguQlDv699I" target="_blank">Lovely Ladies</a>' (prostitutes), and Fantine on her deathbed with Valjean. The top picture of those lovely ladies does look fantastic, the red/pink colour comes from the lighting in the show, but beautifully catches the eye. However, my favourite part about this spread is the end of the text on the right. The picture of Valjean and Fantine stretches behind Hugo's life story, which is in columns with a ragged-right edge. But the last column of text has had it's ragged-right adjusted to fit around the two figures, and not covering them up at all. The curved edge catches the eye, and makes the text easier to follow for the reader without affecting the picture. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9nCfke9-nx8sQehK5YsLcew3QGqzH20jjQwVA8D-QxqNWr0cSShsztL-AoqQddT5RTviGG_AfRHy0WFt0j3Fg2j4Iw5svQYWFkALy1_LTjMIHkOaNM4EJcnsGBJrzJ9jFTzyP-wC2Sg/s1600/P6300233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9nCfke9-nx8sQehK5YsLcew3QGqzH20jjQwVA8D-QxqNWr0cSShsztL-AoqQddT5RTviGG_AfRHy0WFt0j3Fg2j4Iw5svQYWFkALy1_LTjMIHkOaNM4EJcnsGBJrzJ9jFTzyP-wC2Sg/s400/P6300233.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I just really loved this image. This is the cast I had the pleasure of seeing (with an incredible understudy for Valjean), and my, it was amazing. I was crying right from the get-go. But to this page. This is one of the only pages I have in the scrapbook that's just an image spread. The serif typeface in the top left-hand is beautifully simplistic, coming from the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpGA_VRc1Ro" target="_blank">One Day More</a> just before half time. The typeface gives the impression of a song lyric, flowing, easy to read, and a bold statement. All this while the picture underneath gets has some fantastic, uplifting light coming in from the right, and everyone looks amazingly photogenic while still singing. Gee whizz. As I said earlier, I'm sure you'll be picking this booklet up because you know the musical, and this page has a powerful message behind it, if you know what you're looking at.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnerilBniZlN9NWjlIUTkrldReJMaN4GKL6XhyMYyvMYLAOeW6QsMHhGhyphenhyphenGcIQe5vv9rBccXfpxIxRpMEr6ycIm8vdbXGZ84UYFLZFhI9kQTW94_NKjI6UfzsZETpU-ZxxmY6o7SkV4CA/s1600/P6300235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnerilBniZlN9NWjlIUTkrldReJMaN4GKL6XhyMYyvMYLAOeW6QsMHhGhyphenhyphenGcIQe5vv9rBccXfpxIxRpMEr6ycIm8vdbXGZ84UYFLZFhI9kQTW94_NKjI6UfzsZETpU-ZxxmY6o7SkV4CA/s400/P6300235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last page, and last picture I'll look at from this. Top left corner, another fantastic image with my favourite line in the musical - 'To love another person is to see the face of God'. I'm not religious, in the slightest, but in the context of the musical, and when you see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIjU02gVGNw" target="_blank">Alfie Boe's face</a> when he sings the line, my heart just melts. But the issue I have with this image and text is the last few words get a bit lost in the white of Cosette and Fantine's white dresses. It's nice that the designer kept the white typeface consistent, but this part lets it down. As for the rest, every image in number with a small white number in the left-hand corner of each picture. These numbers have a corresponding caption at the bottom left-hand side. This page is to acknowledge the past, present, and international productions of Les Mis, which is what each of these pictures show. This spread is busy, however I think the designer has managed to make it work. The reader can still follow it, and if you really want to know what a particular picture it is, it is easily searchable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think we can all safely assume I love Les Mis. Apologies for the rant, but it's just so good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The end is almost here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">K.</span>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-43549478938189091062012-07-06T14:03:00.000+12:002012-07-08T14:57:33.676+12:00Last pages geek-out.<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As I mentioned in the </span><a href="http://kimayamcintosh.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/babysitters-club-part-two.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">last post</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, I quite enjoy the last pages in non-fiction books - that is the bibliography, index, glossary, etc. I am awesome. When I finished my degree, I got rid of most of my textbooks, but luckily my boyfriend's still got a couple. (</span><a href="http://kimayamcintosh.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/hail-to-headings.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">already featured on the blog.</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWOzW1X-Defefn_iZeSIpmuFSFUktDV3vKbSdwZpYtLCY0E2Zy4ynjDTxVBqZbda-TD-g6ppHK_zq9vXuH091eM4oeBu2ISZb_bgm3J8XO7xXR42o5y-RUzXIVye9AgKXAXBOGjSj-H8/s1600/P6290176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWOzW1X-Defefn_iZeSIpmuFSFUktDV3vKbSdwZpYtLCY0E2Zy4ynjDTxVBqZbda-TD-g6ppHK_zq9vXuH091eM4oeBu2ISZb_bgm3J8XO7xXR42o5y-RUzXIVye9AgKXAXBOGjSj-H8/s320/P6290176.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Glossary.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So here we have examples of the back pages from <i>Communication and New Media</i>. Starting here with the glossary. The heading GLOSSARY and the heading of each term uses a simple sans-serif typeface, that looks like it's been bolded. The text book is in a serif, which is the easiest for a reader to follow. The margins on the page are large, which draws the readers attention to the information in the text block. Very basic, easy to follow.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4STuePL64JU8PE77D-eEqm_olV6BRI21mg30w1CrjA8Vy9W59NdASnJ6Fdrgiu5rPowTVFCnEC_839_FxqbcNjzlD1xXf-ituZHcld3eAYzr4BKP3H7L1Y1MUlve73nXHZao2lKem6hs/s1600/P6290177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4STuePL64JU8PE77D-eEqm_olV6BRI21mg30w1CrjA8Vy9W59NdASnJ6Fdrgiu5rPowTVFCnEC_839_FxqbcNjzlD1xXf-ituZHcld3eAYzr4BKP3H7L1Y1MUlve73nXHZao2lKem6hs/s320/P6290177.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bibliography.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As these are the same book, the page layouts are all the same. Using APA style, the bibliography is easy to follow for those people that actually need to look at it. The same serif and sans-serif are used for the body text and headings. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmydxPmyeUaGhYNkjS4IyBarVyCQ57jYm-JhkhM7DIcBNhPCKatyFRHEemMeDw05Umi2rUhpqBdJFCl6vSSDndUSJGX6CWoPNiQtOIABAlSzZMrccIjlZS1yl0dVbinj9svQTrMv7Csis/s1600/P6290178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmydxPmyeUaGhYNkjS4IyBarVyCQ57jYm-JhkhM7DIcBNhPCKatyFRHEemMeDw05Umi2rUhpqBdJFCl6vSSDndUSJGX6CWoPNiQtOIABAlSzZMrccIjlZS1yl0dVbinj9svQTrMv7Csis/s320/P6290178.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Index.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To the index! Again, same typefaces as above. Each letter isn't marked, but there is a full line space between the end of one and start of the next, making it super easy for the reader to follow. Where there are more headings under a larger heading, for example 'advertising', a five-character indent is used to show the difference between the two. This is also used when the main entry is longer than one column width. The use of column helps guide the reader's eyes down the page, and creates a page that doesn't look cramped. The information given is important, and it needs to be legible.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And to psychology!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_0YYko6dNl3f0IZCvt1yTbfSbVu-aLeS589Nqn_vD9aYV_RIXrybvDm-ay-Ff1wI1Etjup7Q10Ux2DujlV9aROTTqgKZyg7_FaGr8FyVKlE5SrjtY_mbP8XzgVnTpvOLBW_Ytg3WwQ0/s1600/P6290167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_0YYko6dNl3f0IZCvt1yTbfSbVu-aLeS589Nqn_vD9aYV_RIXrybvDm-ay-Ff1wI1Etjup7Q10Ux2DujlV9aROTTqgKZyg7_FaGr8FyVKlE5SrjtY_mbP8XzgVnTpvOLBW_Ytg3WwQ0/s320/P6290167.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's the glossary from <i>Psychology 7/e. </i>The margins<i> </i>are nice and large, creating a nice spacious page. The title is a good distance from the top of the page, helping the reader to know where to start. The word in the glossary is in bold, with the definition starting a small indent in to the right. Again, this is helping the reader to easily find words, and read the definitions. The page number in the bottom right has corner is B1, which helps to distinguish between the main body text, and the bibliography sections. The following two pictures are a part of this B page section as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8m6mlLjVPr3l4UTMD9tvIYKcjQmCWalJ9rHxmj6NZ1cD-CJ4pS7kwnMS6ZOXuzAvaqag3rL33kDdN_dWBhfGZVYEG2dZ68sxUSjGr_Cn-GaeO0FUP-5ekxQISE6DFDqtlD6w_z8fflI/s1600/P6290169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8m6mlLjVPr3l4UTMD9tvIYKcjQmCWalJ9rHxmj6NZ1cD-CJ4pS7kwnMS6ZOXuzAvaqag3rL33kDdN_dWBhfGZVYEG2dZ68sxUSjGr_Cn-GaeO0FUP-5ekxQISE6DFDqtlD6w_z8fflI/s320/P6290169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Being a fancy textbook, and rather large too, this book has a name index. The title starts at the same place as the glossary, keeping things consistent. The names are listed alphabetically by last name, followed by the every page number that that name appears on. There's a small line at the top, in the same size typeface as the rest of the page, which explains the finer points.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg7NTdRiESrgGFimlGhW7VZ7jJB242a5wWjrbEUw-AQuCyqBoX2Eb2ql6ruhiKGzZKF0C0tUWFwx7BkepM16BQNsU1Q6UdBXmSf5-SeyHooq-W2gVfXqvwQGZsG6WCx0vsVkUUww-Ygk/s1600/P6290170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg7NTdRiESrgGFimlGhW7VZ7jJB242a5wWjrbEUw-AQuCyqBoX2Eb2ql6ruhiKGzZKF0C0tUWFwx7BkepM16BQNsU1Q6UdBXmSf5-SeyHooq-W2gVfXqvwQGZsG6WCx0vsVkUUww-Ygk/s320/P6290170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's the subject index of the book. It's very similar to the index in the media book above. If a main heading has subheadings underneath, they are indented by around five characters to help the reader distinguish the difference. Like the name index, the page has the small text at the top to help the reader understand what each number and their certain formatting means. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Almost done!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">K.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509067513206325230.post-39401085713613623992012-07-06T12:57:00.000+12:002012-07-06T12:57:15.282+12:00The Babysitters Club, part two.<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here in New Zealand we have an obsession, and that's with cookbooks. I don't know why, but we do. While babysitting I took note of a couple, including one by my favourite, Jamie Oliver. You may think Nigella is my favourite, given my <a href="http://kimayamcintosh.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/nigella-obvious-domestic-goddess.html" target="_blank">post </a>about her, but I love Jamie, he's just wonderful.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-9aXvLp1K82SOHUuI5CrNBaqsMuGSKNQhSKgtqcGdf6Xe-sg-4OC3rE3gLovSfBihdx4V094wlw6A1dNlr1G3sVL2fjBBn7jjHoke1DdbPQqIGD8675-X_koLEhT02fyH4c3aSh783A/s1600/P6160020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-9aXvLp1K82SOHUuI5CrNBaqsMuGSKNQhSKgtqcGdf6Xe-sg-4OC3rE3gLovSfBihdx4V094wlw6A1dNlr1G3sVL2fjBBn7jjHoke1DdbPQqIGD8675-X_koLEhT02fyH4c3aSh783A/s400/P6160020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Michael Joseph, 2000</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Following the success of his first book, <i>The Return of the Naked Chef</i> was published to accompany the BBC series </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Naked Chef. </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Look at that grin on the front! That's what sells these books, Oliver's insane passion for his work and that he's the son every mother wants. The spaced, uncrowded cover design makes it a pleasure to look at. Oliver's yellow top and grin catch the eye easily, and the giant JAMIE OLIVER will make you look at this because, let's face it, he's great.</span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTNxtUGGqvJqGcMl4Vl3h6rjCB7SLAQZOp_Bxe_8EJBurEAK2dBIj6cVgOa7He_xRquZEwdZvTfjhMed5x3Pf8AxfrQSndaRIhVWJXOHIvtOmpD1cyxDMjIevANJYDEY8mmffVSpWA9Y/s1600/prelim+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTNxtUGGqvJqGcMl4Vl3h6rjCB7SLAQZOp_Bxe_8EJBurEAK2dBIj6cVgOa7He_xRquZEwdZvTfjhMed5x3Pf8AxfrQSndaRIhVWJXOHIvtOmpD1cyxDMjIevANJYDEY8mmffVSpWA9Y/s400/prelim+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Title page, dedication</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbnrleoiryTnic36gd_AV9d1pN07HsmrIvG74j1QDPaQLhjjKazI2WzPhX1fi7pnxns37TSMA1JCdZE1QXCV06TdJo3K5wAJbiuPc2peRD3xk07dAor0NoRSJSVvgHOK7WqWNDI2QqC4/s1600/prelim+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbnrleoiryTnic36gd_AV9d1pN07HsmrIvG74j1QDPaQLhjjKazI2WzPhX1fi7pnxns37TSMA1JCdZE1QXCV06TdJo3K5wAJbiuPc2peRD3xk07dAor0NoRSJSVvgHOK7WqWNDI2QqC4/s400/prelim+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Imprint, contents, introduction</span></td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think my favourite thing about this book is that no page is wasted. No doubt this book would have been expensive to produce, but since the sales would've been fantastic, no cost is too high for Jamie. A nice, simple, and spaced sans-serif is used consistently throughout the book. As a beautifully illustrated book, it makes sense to use the spread to show the picture of Jamie cooking in all his glory for the title page - it brings it home that it's all about him and his cooking just by turning to the first few pages. It's well acknowledged by Jamie that he has Jules, his wife, in his life - he never hides the fact, which I'm sure wasn't the BBC's idea. The dedication to her is simple and lovely, I let out a little 'aww' when I first saw it. The red of the typeface is repeated throughout the book, and as the first instance, I like to think it shows his love nicely. The imprint is simple and traditional - using a serif, and not trying to be something it's not. The contents uses the same colour from the dedication, as does the introduction coupled with a lovely picture of the man himself again. The introduction is very 'Jamie', and as the text goes right to the ends of the page I can imagine there were some issues with the cutting of the book at the printer. I love the simpleness of the contents page - very basic, spacious, and super easy to read. The designer didn't feel the need to fill the whole page with useless information, which is much appreciated since I find cooking books can be daunting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprQRybqUtWl5rLCxdy15iJfhl0MSL4ntoUtYTpePzWMI0cj2k95xx99_6BlcZ9SOnKLQLQtpNOIoXbe8WFvs4U-ARxp7dbXyEDbFHywKHHPYxw89g2EKzkxJxHm4x-mPvfJcGZsQsN7E/s1600/section+pgs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprQRybqUtWl5rLCxdy15iJfhl0MSL4ntoUtYTpePzWMI0cj2k95xx99_6BlcZ9SOnKLQLQtpNOIoXbe8WFvs4U-ARxp7dbXyEDbFHywKHHPYxw89g2EKzkxJxHm4x-mPvfJcGZsQsN7E/s400/section+pgs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Section markers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are two examples of section markers, which are listed on the contents page. Each of the section markers are a double-page spread in black and white. The marker on the left, fish and shellfish, shows Joe, Jamie's regular person at the market. The homeliness of this picture brings the book back to Jamie and lets the reader in to his life. The typeface is the same sans-serif, with Joe's name in the same red as before, and the section title changes colour from black to white depending on the most appropriate one. This is a great choice, changing it if need be, as I've already said in a <a href="http://kimayamcintosh.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/typeface-fails.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, it can be a disaster for the reader to stick to one colour. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HtYcbiS2OSPMvTnO1MrKW90ICsXzCtt6DLMhd9xd36bcysfic0KGCZ0qXR8M7mA56ZCBAqX_xCnfTbQtrZ0eVNjtWygUhcXmMaiMBUlgdTwoKp4Ht4syIvUndm43ActPQM9g0WAOzt0/s1600/P6160039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HtYcbiS2OSPMvTnO1MrKW90ICsXzCtt6DLMhd9xd36bcysfic0KGCZ0qXR8M7mA56ZCBAqX_xCnfTbQtrZ0eVNjtWygUhcXmMaiMBUlgdTwoKp4Ht4syIvUndm43ActPQM9g0WAOzt0/s320/P6160039.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Instead of looking at the obvious recipe for the last picture, I though I'd look at the actual last pages of the book, or at least the index right now. The margins around the text block are traditional in sizes, giving the reader plenty of room to hold the book open when need be. The bottom right-hand side has a nice running header and page number, and due to the margin it's easy to locate this. The list of recipes are easily formatted with the main ingredients in the same red, and recipe titles in black. The page numbers in roman are the recipes themselves, while the bold ones indicate illustrations; a v on the left-hand side offer vegetarian recipes. I really like the last pages of books - I love non-fiction as a genre, and would like to learn more about bibliographies and indexes. Yes, I am that cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Almost done for the scrapbook, look forward to it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">K.</span></div>Kimayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06249252567055239809noreply@blogger.com0